


Petrashe Fluffcember

by ThePrimeOne



Series: Fluffcember 2020 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, By accident I swear, During Timeskip (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), F/M, Fluff, Fluffcember, Fluffcember 2020, Light Angst, Post-Canon, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:26:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 37,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27950738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePrimeOne/pseuds/ThePrimeOne
Summary: A prompt a day focusing on Ashe and Petra for Fluffcember, focusing on different aspects of their lives both in and out of canon!Mileage may vary for fic quality, length, and amount of fluffiness and angst, but I hope that for all who love this pairing get a kick out of these one-shots.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Petra Macneary
Series: Fluffcember 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064504
Comments: 11
Kudos: 38





	1. Sharing a Drink

**Author's Note:**

> Please bear in mind that some of these one-shots are repurposed WIPS, so there may be some angst that I didn't bother to get rid of, and not getting to the point of each day's prompt.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe gets a surprise visit from Petra, along with fresh cookies and mint tea after Magdred Way.

Ashe looked down wearily at the cup in his hands, watching the contents of it swirl gently as his hands made slow circular motions. He’d become a little more distracted than usual as of late. It started with small things: not putting in the exact amount of sugar in the cookies he had made for Annette for their study session. His arrows ever so slightly off the bullseye more consistently than usual during training. His appetite became smaller at seemingly random times.

All these things he pushed into the back of his mind, blaming it on a lack of sleep because he’d hardly gotten a decent’s night’s sleep in a few days. Ashe didn’t realise how much of a problem it became when he’d stumbled into class thirty minutes late. Although his Professor didn’t chastise him too much, she did suggest after class he start drinking tea regularly.

Ashe could hear the Professor list off the benefits to drinking tea after class that day as he stared into the tea that reflected a muddied mirror version of himself. The young boy frowned and raised the drink to his lips, the taste of Angelica soothing his mind for a moment. Many thoughts crossed his mind afterwards, Lonato being one of them.

Ashe slouched over and placed the cup on the dining hall table. He’d been starting to regret his decision to drink alone, wanting some way to distract himself; and as if the Goddess heard him for once, the clearing of a voice made his head snap up.

“Hello, Ashe,” greeted Petra, much to Ashe’s surprise. The girl held a plate of cookies in one hand and a cup and teapot in the other, steam flowing out of the spout. “May I join you?”

Ashe cleared his throat. “Oh! Um, sure,” he said quickly, watching Petra place the plate and teapot between them on the table. She reached to her side and undid a holster that once held in place an entire saucer and teacup.

“What is that?” Ashe blinked, confused.

“This? It is a teapot holster. Ferdinand was quite excited about it when he was finding it in the market,” Petra chuckled. “Every Black Eagle member was receiving one before I was moving to the Blue Lions. It is a strange Fodlan invention that is having usefulness for moments like this.”

“Not for much else though, I’d imagine.”

“No, it is not,” Petra bluntly replied with another chuckle that made heat spread through his chest. Petra directed his attention to the teapot before he could let sink in the strange sensation he felt. “This teapot is having mint tea in it. It is your favourite, yes?”

“Oh, yes it is,” Ashe blinked, surprised. “But what about you, Petra? You prefer something a little more earthy? Or maybe spicy, don’t you?”

“That is my preference, yes,” she confirmed. “But I am not minding. It is for you.”

“For me? A-are you sure? Do you want some too? I can always go make some for you if you want.”

Petra sighed, the sound halfway between exasperation and frustration. “Yes, Ashe. I am wanting you to be having this. In fact,” she trailed off, pushing the plate of cookies towards him. “These are for you. I was making them on my own for the first time, so please be having my apologies if they are looking… odd.”

Ashe took a closer look at the cookies and- well, she wasn’t wrong some of them did look strange, none of them perfect circles like every cookie Mercedes ever made was and one half of them were slightly overcooked. But still, chocolate chip cookies were chocolate chip cookies, and Ashe was hardly one to complain about eating food.

“Petra,” Ashe whispered, unsure of what to say. He glanced up and smiled gratefully. “I appreciate it, I do but.. you didn’t have to do all this.”

“No, I did not have to,” Petra agreed. “But I wanted to thank you for your help studying for my Thief Certification. I was passing with ‘flying colours’, according to the Professor. You have my gratitude for that. I am also knowing what it is like to be losing someone precious; when I am seeing your sad look,” she spoke delicately. “Such sadness is not suitable for your face, is what the Professor was telling me; and I am agreeing with her.”

Ashe’s smile faltered, remembering the story she’d told him about her father. “Thank you. I’ve been down lately, so these are just the things that’ll get me in the right mood to study and work again. But still, maybe later I can…”

“No,” Petra frowned. “Because of your kindness, I am knowing what you are going to say. I do not want you to return the favour. It is OK to be selfish sometimes, Ashe.”

Ashe ruminated on her words for a moment. Hapi had warned him the same thing once. Of those took advantage of his kindness, that he was too altruistic for his own good. Hapi had tried to convince him to think otherwise, but it was something he struggled with.

And yet, he still reached out for a cookie and heeded Petra’s plea. It didn’t occur to him it happened until she spoke again.

“Thank you, Ashe. You have my gratitude once again. I mentioned you were quite sad to the Professor yesterday, and she said you are liking chocolate chip cookies and mint tea. I could surprise you with cookies, I was thinking. But when I saw you here in the dining hall, I decided to make tea as well.”

“You didn’t ask Mercedes to help you?” he asked curiously.

Petra shook her head. “I was thinking of that, but I wanted to make them on my own for the first time. I am not very confident in my cooking ability, so you can have honesty about them if you’d like.”

Ashe snagged a cookie. “Well, don’t mind if I do.” He bit into the cookie and crunched down on the piece he bit, ruminating on it for a moment.

“Well, I think this batch seems a little overcooked,” Ashe pointed to the similar coloured cookies on one half of the plate. “So there’s a bit more of a crunch to this than I’d prefer, but I promise you it still tastes delicious. It’s quite nice. Did you use the Morfis milk chocolate? That’s one of my favourites. A cookie and baker after my own heart,” Ashe grinned.

Petra let out a sigh from holding her breath. She relaxed upon hearing Ashe’s thoughts on part of her efforts. “Yes, I did use that type of chocolate,” she nodded, trying her hardest to look too deeply into his last comment. “If the concerns you have are being about...”

Petra furrowed her brows, trying to think of a particular word.

“Texture?” Ashe supplied.

“Yes! Texture,” she clapped her hands together before she cleared her throat. Petra pointed to a lighter coloured batch. “Do you want the cookies to be eaten now? You can be having these now, if you are wanting.”

Ashe silently took one, as did Petra. They both bit into their cookies, much more comfortable to chew than the previous. 

Then, Petra stopped half-bite. Ashe stopped a moment later. He blinked, trying to identify why the cookie tasted so differently. Ashe’s eyes looked up and glued to Petra’s, Ashe watching the dread in her eyes settle in. The boy swore he could feel the Princess’ heart drop from across the table. She’d already picked up on the odd taste.

“Petra?”

“...Yes, Ashe?” she cautiously replied to him.

“Did you, um...” Ashe drew out and trailed off into silence. He shifted in his chair and looked from the cookie to Petra. “Did you mistake salt for sugar by any chance?”

At that moment, Petra wanted the floor to open beneath her and swallow her whole. Her face lit up with a light shade of red. She’d run out of sugar for her second batch and in her struggle to find more, used the closest thing to what appeared to be sugar she could find- a same coloured bag that sat right next to the bag of sugar that had run out moments earlier.

“Ashe, please be having my apologies,” she bowed, unable to look at him in the eyes out of shame for her blunder. “I was not meaning for such a thing to happen,” she explained, mentally chastising herself for somehow messing up something so simple.

“W-wait! Petra, wait, it’s OK. Really, I promise,” he sputtered in surprise. “I can tell there’s not too much in there, so it just caught me by surprise more than anything else,” Ashe reassured her, eating the rest of the cookie as if it were perfectly cooked.

“Are you speaking truth?” Petra asked quietly.

“Well, after my time on the streets, I learned that most food that isn’t obviously terrible for you is still edible in some way. I remember me and my sibling’s scraps sometimes had lots of salt if we could ever find it so we could preserve our food. Compared at, this is only a tiny bit, so I like to think it’s an odd, but tasty new flavour I haven’t had before. So please don’t feel down, Petra. You’ve already done so much; I’d hate to make you feel like it was all a waste.”

Petra looked up at him, embarrassed a great deal, but still thankful that Ashe genuinely appreciated her efforts, and yet somehow enjoyed her botched cookies. “I have gratitude for your kindness, Ashe. Still, this tea should be drunk soon, I am thinking. Do you want the tea to be had now, Ashe? I would like to forget this blunder as soon as possible.”

Ashe eagerly moved his cup towards Petra and the teapot. “I’d love to, Petra.”


	2. Reassurances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra fishes with Ashe after the mission at Magdred Way.

Petra wasn’t entirely sure why the Professor for the Blue Lions had even asked her to attend the mission Rhea had assigned to the older woman’s class. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She’d explained to Petra over tea that she and Manuela had seen a profound potential in Petra, and Professor Byleth had wanted to help cultivate that potential. 

Not that it was a unique reason, anyway. The Professor gave Dorothea a similar explanation when she attended the Blue Lions first mission at the Red Canyon, as was Ignatz when a smaller party went to route bandits in Varley territory.

For that reason, Petra had her suspicions that perhaps there was something more to the Professor’s reasoning.

And when they returned from Magdred, with a heartbroken Ashe who seemingly had shut down, she wondered if the Professor paired them together in battle, knowing her own past with her father.

It bordered on impossible, considering she’d never spoken of it to her before, but the question still lingered in her mind as a faint possibility.

In the month after the Magdred Way mission, Petra found Ashe sitting on the end of the pond’s deck, his feet partially submerged in water and the hook of the fishing line he was holding sunk more in-depth into the water.

“Ashe?” she cleared his throat, shocking him out of his indifferent stare into the lake. The boy politely smiled at the Princess.

“Oh, Petra, it’s just you,” Ashe mumbled, a little surprised. “Is something the matter?” he asked before he realised what was in her hands. “Is that a fishing rod- oh, of course! Do you want me to move over? Or move somewhere else entirely?”

“Just a little bit, please. I would like to be fishing next to you if that is OK.”

“Of course,” he nodded. He shifted over to the right, and Petra sat down, comfortably getting into position before winding back her rod and throwing the hook with bait attached to it into the water. It wasn’t her usual way of fishing like back at him- not that she’d done that in a very long time.

The two sat in silence, somehow both awkward and comfortable, both unsure of what to say.

“Petra-”

“Ashe…”

The two looked at each other blankly. “You go,” Ashe blurted out.

“Ashe are you… are you feeling OK?”

It was a simple question, but one Ashe struggled to answer. She waited patiently until he finally answered.

“No. I’m not,” he admitted quietly. “It’s been more difficult than I thought it’d be. I’ve lost so much already; I really thought I could sort out how I’m feeling already but… it’s difficult.”

Petra hummed and nodded. “I am knowing these feelings you are feeling a little, Ashe. It is OK to be feeling confusion, or anger, or sorrow. But please be talking to someone. Maybe the Professor? Being alone is not helping the mind. I am knowing this.”

Ashe let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re right. I probably should but maybe not now. Another time, maybe? You know. Just the two of us.”

Petra perked up in surprise but didn’t let it show for long on her face. “I accept, Ashe.”

“O-oh. Good- that’s good.”

Silence overcame them again, and Petra huffed, pulling the hook out and throwing it back in again. “The bait is having troubles. The fish will not be swimming to it. It is frustrating.”

Ashe chuckled. “Yeah. I don’t know what’s going on with them, but it seems we have to be extra patient today.”

The Princess felt tempted to slouch but maintained her posture. “We did not have to wait for so long when we are fishing in my homeland.”

Ashe looked at her with a curious gaze. “Oh? How did you do it back in Brigid?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure I can be explaining it well. I can be showing you this instead if you would like.”

“If that’s easier for you, then go ahead.”

With an affirmative nod, Petra reeled in her line and stood up, taking off her boots, she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt.

And without hesitations, she pushed off the side of the edge of the deck from a seated position. A somewhat loud splash and a gasp in surprise followed after. Ashe recoiled in shock blinking at Petra’s form in the pond. He looked around to see if anyone was looking, thanking the Goddess most classes besides Ashe and Petra’s own were continuing. He opened his mouth to speak to Petra, but stopped and watched her curiously, Petra staring at the pond around her. She hardly moved from her spot, aside from raising her right arm across her chest and towards her left shoulder.

And in a flash, Petra struck, her hand hitting the water. She pulled it out, her brows creasing in light frustration. Petra tried again, and for a moment the Princess had no luck until something slivered by her fingers, the Princess’ hand reflexively latching onto it. She pulled out a sizeable Albinean Herring, and held it up towards Ashe. Petra grinned and studied Ashe’s reaction, surprise plastered across his face.

“Wow. That’s amazing, Petra!” Ashe praised Brigid’s Princess, her face warming from said praise.

“You are having my gratitude,” she sarcastically bowed, mimicking the way some of Mittlefrank’s more pompous actors bowed at the end of plays she’d seen back in Enbarr. Ashe guffawed in response, like music to her ears.

“Can you teach me how to do it too?” Ashe moved back, crossing his legs on the deck; this caught her off-guard.

“Teach?”

Ashe tilted his head curiously. “W-well, yeah. Actually, I’ve wanted to know more about Brigid for a while,” he explained.

“I heard that it’s a vassal state for the Empire, kind of like how Duscur is for the Kingdom. If Brigid’s situation is anything like, I’m sure you don’t really get a lot of chances to tell other people about it, right? And besides, I’m sure you miss your home a lot so, you know. It’d be a win for the both of us.

She silently nodded, convinced that her face permanently stuck with a surprised expression.

Ashe awkwardly cleared his throat. “Not if you don’t want to anyway, it’s up to you.”

“OK,” she blurted out immediately. She’d hardly remember the last time she’d fished, much less with someone else that wasn’t her father. It’d be a new experience for her- but one she welcomed with an almost desperate longing that surfaced at that moment.

Petra watched Ashe leave discarded attire next to hers on the deck and join her in the water, shivering a little at the sudden cold sensation that covered his legs. The Princess awkwardly looked away, not caring to admit that she was staring at him. She cleared her throat and guided Ashe through the motions, teaching him what she remembered her father had taught her when she was young.

Even after one failed attempt after another, Ashe persevered, putting forth as much effort as he could to learn some skill he’d probably hardly ever use, especially if Seteth found them frolicking in the pond.

Still, to see his genuine interest in learning about Brigid’s culture brought about a warm feeling in her chest that was odd, but one she immediately welcomed. Seeing him struggle yet keep trying reminded Petra of herself, small pieces of forgotten memories coming back to her at the moment. 

The nostalgic feeling was so overwhelming that it made her want to tear up- only superseded by a surprised gasp from Ashe.

After multiple tries, he raised a White Trout into the air with a massive grin adorning his face. His eyes glowed up with life that she didn’t see when she joined him earlier. For a moment, Petra knew that the tragedy of Magdred Way was in the back of his mind, tucked away, Ashe making short peace with such painful memories, even if it was a temporary solution.

But he would be OK, even if it took time. And when they would inevitably go their separate ways, she knew she’d be satisfied, knowing at least someone would leave Garreg Mach learning of her people’s culture and legacy. 

Both gave her a great deal of comfort.

And for Petra, that was enough.


	3. Hand-holding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra gets bored during a war meeting and decides to amuse herself... at Ashe's expense.

If there were two things Petra was almost sure of in her life amidst the war, one was that she rarely got bored during war meetings, concentrating on the topics of discussion as best she could and offering her own two cents where she saw fit. It was as if nothing had changed from the days when Garreg Mach was an academy.

The other was that she was very much head over heels for an aspiring knight from Faerghus, one Ashe Ubert. Perhaps she should’ve expected her fleeting-but-not-so-fleeting interest from five years before flare up into something more after seeing who he’d grown into after so long.

What she couldn’t have predicted that their first kiss together would end up with them both tangled in Petra’s bed. It was a lot for Petra to take in - both literally and figuratively - as her mind strictly wandered back to their awkward, yet wholesome morning after.

That was only a few hours ago.

And a few hours later, Petra could safely say that she was utterly bored out of her mind, despite putting forth her best efforts to concentrate, distracted by the events of the day and night prior. The young woman tried to take notes as best she could, attempting to fix her gaze on the Professor as she spoke tactics with Gilbert chiming in, but to no avail.

Her eyes wandered to Ashe Ubert - as it seemed to do of its own volition, she swore - who sat to her right and spied Ashe’s left hand, laying on the chair’s left armrest. He made a habit of occasionally drumming his fingers on the arm before he let it relax, palm facing up. The aspiring knight had slumped down slightly in his chair by this point, leaning against his right hand, his right arm propped up on the opposite armrest.

Seeing Ashe evidently bored, her mind conjured up an idea; a rather mischievous one at that. The Princess rested her arm on the right armrest, and while carefully feigning concentration, rotated her arm, so her pinky wrapped itself around his thumb. Petra glanced down at her notes, keeping an eye on Ashe in the corner of her vision, spying Ashe’s eyes widened in surprise, and a warm blush covering his face.

Still, he didn’t move away.

Wanting to see how far she could go, she loosened her grip and her placed fingers in the middle of his palm, Petra absentmindedly drawing light circles in Ashe’s hand with her pointer and middle fingers. The young man didn’t move away, but he immediately shifted in his seat, perhaps agonising over and cursing the fact the sensation was so ticklish.

Still, he didn’t react besides that. It seemed like he welcomed it more than anything; and so, Petra decided to be a little more daring than before. She lifted her fingers and moved her hand to hover over the top of his. Petra expertly moved her hand down, all the while still feigning attention, her gaze locked with Professor Byleth.

What she didn’t expect was for Ashe to catch her by surprise, taking hold of her hand before she could herself, a warm and soft touch enveloping her hand.

Unfortunately, the unexpected sensation elicited a small gasp that - spirits strike her down - echoed throughout the room.

Professor Byleth and Ferdinand, who were having a back and forth on how to approach taking the Bridge of Myrrdin, went silent, their odd stares the first of many they earned from those attending the war meeting. Petra could see Dorothea’s expression change from curiosity to a scandalised grin in an instant, not spotting her glance at Sylvain, who was the only other one who could see their hands intertwined hidden by their corner of the table.

“Petra? Is there something wrong?” Byleth questioned aloud. Petra tightened her grip on Ashe’s hand when he started to gingerly careless her hand with his thumb as if to calm her, but Petra knew it was his way of taunting her.

“No, there is not,” Petra shook her head. “I was remembering something, but it is not having bearing on the mission,” she spoke confidently, despite the attention all being on her.

“I see,” Byleth nodded. “But if there is anything wrong, don’t feel ashamed to step outside to take a break. There’s a lot to keep track of. Besides, you look rather warm,” she pondered, before looking to Petra’s right.

“Ashe. You also look quite off. Are you feeling ill, as well?” Byleth asked genuinely. Some giggles and snickers echoed from around parts of the table, none more obvious than Dorothea and Sylvain to Petra’s left and Ashe’s right respectively. 

Ashe cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Ah, s-sorry. No, there isn’t. But please don’t let me stop the meeting, Professor,” Ashe replied quickly, eyes all on him now.

The Professor nodded, seemingly unaware of what was going on. “Very well. As we’ve established thanks to Ferdinand…”

“You two are so adorable,” Dorothea muttered, covering her mouth to hide her unmistakable grin.

“Finally. Nice going, buddy,” Sylvain said not-so-subtly afterwards.

The two separated their hands almost immediately, giving each other once last final glances with sheepish smiles before the war meeting reached its conclusion. Once it reached its conclusion, Petra quickly jogged out of the war room before Dorothea or anyone else could interrogate her on what was seen or said.

Unsurprisingly, the only person hot on her heels was Ashe Ubert, knocking on her door some minutes after she’d returned to it.

“Petra? Are you OK? May I come in?” he called out, full of the genuine concern and care she’d come to love so much.

“Yes, you may, Ashe,” she called out, but Ashe stumbled in halfway through her response. He stood silently a little longer than she’d like before he spoke again.

“So, about the war meeting…”

“Please be having my apologies, Ashe,” Petra shook her head. “I should not have done that so you would not be embarrassing yourself in front of others. It was…”

“You don’t need to apologise to me, Petra,” he interrupted her. “Besides, it was a nice surprise… even if we were embarrassed for it,” Ashe chuckled. The aspiring knight sat next to her with the same sheepish smile that made warmth rise in her chest.

“May I?” he asked, holding out his hand. Petra stared at it for a moment in surprise. 

“Yes. Please.”

Petra silently wrapped her hand in his, basking in its warmth and the comfortable silence, leaning gently against Ashe.


	4. First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra had noticed Ashe looking at his lips for much the time they were out together... not that Ashe realised it himself.

Ashe’s mind was racing, and his heart was beating like a drum. He hadn’t given this part of his day much thought. After their reunion, Ashe quickly caught up to speed with everyone who had arrived in time for when the Millenium Festival should’ve occurred in a better world, rekindling old friendships from five years prior.

Unfortunately for Ashe’s heart, the rekindling of his friendship with Petra had quickly spiralled out of control from respect and admiration to something much deeper in the blink of an eye. He wasn’t entirely sure when or how it happened. Days and weeks seemed to blur together no thanks to the war. Much to his dismay, what he thought were subtle stolen glances and light flirting turned out to be anything but that when the Professor so plainly pointed it out during training.

_ “Petra will be your adjutant in the upcoming march on Aillel, yes.” _

_ “Why? You two work well together. Besides, you seemed rather content with the arrangement.” _

_ “I’ve seen the way you look at her, you know. Sylvain and Dorothea have said as much too. You also just sighed in relief when I said- well, I’m sure you get the idea.”  _

_ “You’ve been telling me quite a bit about that restaurant in the nearby town. Go and ask Petra out. She won’t say no.” _

So he did. And to his surprise, Petra immediately accepted. 

The two of them spent much longer at the hole-in-the-wall restaurant than he anticipated. Their time together was longer than when Ashe first took Petra five years ago - making both light-hearted and deep conversation for hours on end, long after they’d stuffed themselves full of food for the day. But as they approached home, and back to the reality they lived in, their conversations had grown stagnant and quiet. 

Ashe had already taken the initiative so far, being the one to ask her out for the day and to initiate holding hands, which she’d gladly accepted to his relief. Another thought had crossed his mind when they passed by the small pond, on playing on repeat in his mind for the duration they were out.

_“If you’re to take a girl out on a date, you gotta end the night with a kiss at least. Trust me here on this one, Ashe_ ,” Ashe recalled Sylvain telling him, hardly able to suppress the cheeky grin had been growing on his face.

He tucked that thought away into the back of his mind.

“I didn’t realise we stayed out for so long,” Ashe said to fill the quiet air with their voices.

“It is not surprising. Our conversations were very enlightening, I am thinking,” Brigid’s Princess replied cryptically. He contemplated asking what she meant for a moment before she let her hand go from his upon arriving in front of her room.

A little disappointed, he let go.

“You have my gratitude for today, Ashe. It is one of the more happier days in recent times I can be remembering.”

Ashe’s expression softened into a small grin. “I’m just glad you could enjoy yourself, Petra. But I am curious,” Ashe quietly mumbled before he cleared his throat. “What did you mean by, enlightening?”

Petra looked at him curiously before the sounds of her shoes clicking with the wooden ground outside of her room was all Ashe could hear. She placed her hands on Ashe’s shoulders confidently.

“I was not knowing you were fascinated by my lips. You would not stop looking at them in our talks,” came Petra’s blunt statement with an unreadable expression on her face.

“Oh,” Ashe whispered. Red crept up on Ashe’s neck and up to his ears. “Well,” he continued, racking his brain to come up with some manner of response.

“I can show you why, if you’d like.” Ashe immediately chastised himself mentally for making such a bold statement, but still held his breath in anticipation.

Petra blinked before her cheeks coloured a similar shade of red. She stood on her toes and leaned up. With a swelling of confidence in his chest, Ashe leaned down to meet her halfway.

“I would be liking that greatly,” Petra said with a careless whisper, her mouth inches away from his.

And much agonising buildup, Ashe’s lips gently pressed against hers, reciprocated by Petra. The kiss was short and fleeting in reality, yet it felt like a moment that lasted forever. They pulled apart and stared at each other for a while with goofy grins, their faces doused in deep blushes. Ashe and Petra grinned and giggled like they were nervous school kids again.

Ashe wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, having only experienced his first kiss moments earlier, but eager to keep his confidence streak going, Ashe initiated again. The Princess silently leaned up to capture Ashe’s lips as he captured hers once more; the Princess and Knight seizing each other’s hearts once more.


	5. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe sees a familiar face after escorting Count Rowe to Enbarr that makes the arduous journey worth it.

Ashe was more than on edge when Captain Gwendal had told him that he would be among those to escort Count Rowe to Enbarr along with Captain Gwendal himself for a diplomatic meeting. Ashe was suspicious if he were allowed to be frank. Why call for a meeting with most of the Lords under the Empire’s influence when a letter would be more than sufficient? Of course, he kept that to himself, not wanting to get into another staredown with the Gray-Lion after he insulted his siblings- a long story.

Though, he did feel a little optimistic. Enbarr was home to most of those in the Black Eagles house, as far as he knew. Though he wasn’t incredibly close with many of them, nor could he maintain letter contact with any of them, he had a feeling he’d see a familiar face. It had been a little over two years since the war began, and to see a familiar face or two would be… well, nice, Ashe supposed.

And when his mind immediately wandered to Petra, Ashe pursed his lips, embarrassed. He’d been thinking about his days at the academy in the march from Rowe to Enbarr, and strangely, she had become the central topic of his thoughts quite often and struggled to fall asleep. It was as if he drank a cup of coffee before he went to sleep most nights he got nostalgic.

But in this case, the ‘coffee’ was something he liked, so it wasn’t  so bad.

He at least knew he wouldn’t have to fire any arrows through her as he might inevitably have to with the former classmates of his own house.

Shaking his head from such dark thoughts, he set his eyes ahead, towards Enbarr’s city gates. Wondering what would await for him in their stay, Ashe was not surprised to find a small convoy awaiting their arrival.

What had surprised him was a figure he swore he saw moving on the rooftops of one of the nearby buildings, as if they were watching them closely. Ashe gripped his hands on the bow in his hands a little tighter but kept moving along as the convoy directed them. They eventually reached the palace, the roosting ground for the Black Eagles leader, Emperor Edelgard, who’d been gracious enough to allow those escorting their Lords a decent place to sleep before they’d make the inevitable trek again.

Ashe silently thanked Seiros when he flopped onto his soft bed, free from the tents and hard ground he had to sleep on.

Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived, the palace filled with infinitely more unnecessary hallways that all looked the same, how Edelgard could come to deal with something so frustrating confused him to no end.

“Oh no, where am I again? Do I have to go here…? Ah!” Ashe exclaimed, bumping into someone else in his haste. “Ah, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to… wait,” Ashe stopped, his mouth agape in surprise. 

**  
**  


“Petra? Is that you?” The young woman that stood before him widened her eyes in surprise. She still had a mark adorning her face under her right eye, and her hair done up in a slightly different braid than he recalled Petra of two years ago often opting to wear.

Brigid’s Princess stared at him, confused, then shocked, then with utter joy all in a matter of seconds. “Ashe! It is you!” Petra exclaimed. She charged in for a hug that caught him off guard, one that Ashe returned. 

She broke off the hug first to his disappointment. 

“I am quite surprised that you are here. Dorothea told me I would find someone I was not seeing in some time here today. I was on the roof looking for you, and I almost did not recognise you!”

Ashe rubbed the back of his neck. “O-oh? I don’t think I’ve changed that much…”

“That is not the whole truth. You are very different now, Ashe. You are much taller, and your voice is being deeper. But I suppose you are still the same in a way. I am thinking you are still... what is the phrase?” she scrunched her nose, contemplating the words she wanted to say- an undeniably cute habit that made his smile rise a little more.

“Ah, yes. You are easy on the eyes I am thinking- but also, it is wonderful to see you are using a comb now!” Petra said cheekily. 

“H-hey! I always used a comb. My hair just you know… didn’t cooperate,” Ashe retorted, thinking what she said prior on repeat. ‘You are easy on the eyes I am thinking’, she said. If Ashe was reading into what she told him-

Was she hitting on him? 

Oh no.

“If you are thinking that is the truth, then I shall believe you, Ashe,” she giggled. He could feel his lips dry up from sudden, sheer nervousness alone, accentuated by his heart skipping hearing Petra giggle.

“It is the truth, Petra,” Ashe said, taking a quick breath in. 

“Your clothes,” Ashe asked after clearing his throat. “Is it a mix of Fodlan and Brigid garments?” Ashe asked curiously, desperate to move on.

“Ah, this? It is. It is partly made from the dresses from Fodlan nobles, with garments and jewellery of my homeland mixed with them. It is turning it to be more like a Brigid dress. It is not looked kindly upon by many, but I am not minding it.”

Ashe ruminated on what she said for a moment. “Is that a Spirit of Rebellion sort of thing?”

Petra glanced at him, curiously. “Rebellion?”

“Well, you taking the dresses of Fodlan nobles and make them more like Brigid? It reminds me of when you told me everything about Brigid years ago, remember? It’s culture, history, and some of its language too. I know the ‘Spirit of Rebellion’ is not an actual spirit, but it’s a concept instilled in Brigid’s warriors. It’s is your subtle way of sending some that message to Empire’s, right?”

Petra stared at him, stumped that he remembered all of that, even five years later.

“Yes. I am glad you have understanding, Ashe.” Petra nodded, her tone filled with relief. “It is not being much, but I must be sending this message to Edelgard and the nobles who look down upon me, who look down upon Brigid, that I’m not their lesser,” Petra’s eyes locked with his, with a reassuring smile.

He couldn’t help but feel anger rise within him; an anger Ashe hadn’t remotely felt since he’d confronted the man who was responsible for setting Lonato on the path to his demise. 

“You’re right aren’t. You aren’t,” Ashe balled whispered solemnly, his fists balled, about to do something he may regret

. 

“And I think the dress looks beautiful. I think you look beautiful,” the former Page blurted out from bubbling bitterness. His frown on his face solidified his tone, betrayed by conflicting blush. “You’re better than them. What those nobles think doesn’t change that.”

Petra’s mouth parted, Taken aback by his forwardness. Petra quickly recovered and smiled down at the floor, flattered, sharing the small blush he too had on his face. 

“I am happy to be hearing such things, especially from you. Their words and insults for Brigid and me and not meaning much in some ways anymore. I will be persevering one day- but you have my gratitude, Ashe.”

‘Especially from you? What is that supposed to mean?’

Taking another second to realise what he said, Ashe took a step back and stared at the wall behind Petra. Ashe cringed internally.  ‘Right out of Cyril’s book with zero subtlety. Nice one, Ashe.’

An awkward silence nearly beset them both when they stopped talking, prevented by Ashe’s blurting out the first thing he could think of. “I’m, uh, going to go and try to find the dining hall. I’m feeling hungry after all that walking,” Ashe said quickly, nearly stumbling over his words. “Do you want to come with me? I’m not familiar with this place and I-”

Petra stepped to his side and linked arms with Ashe. “I shall lead the way. We still have much to discuss, yes?”

“Right,” Ashe nodded, relaxing his right arm as he and Petra walked down the correct hallway together.


	6. Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra and Ashe watch the sunrise together.

Petra ignored the light footsteps that echoed below her as someone approached the top of the stairs leading to the dining hall. The quiet footsteps turned into an annoyed huff around the side of the building, someone climbing up on the small hidden ladder Cyril and some of the knights used to fix holes on the same roof she sat on.

"Oh! Hello Petra, I didn't think I'd find you here," called out a familiar, welcome voice amongst a few.

She peeked to the side, Ashe waving at her. She shyly waved back. "Hello, Ashe. It is being quite early. You should be resting."

"Maybe. But I could say the same thing for you," he responded with a chuckle. "You don't mind if I sit here?" he pointed to a spot close by, while still maintaining space. She nodded softly and observed Ashe take a seat near her on the rooftop.

"You're up a little too early, don't you think, Petra? Don't have an exam today?"

She shook her head. "No. I was having completion of it yesterday. I was wanting it to be over with. It gave me anxiousness."

"Oh. My mistake, then. Though, I'm sure you did great," reassured Ashe said with great optimism.

The frown on Petra's face deepened slightly. "I was having confidence that is the case, but now I am unsure."

"Unsure?" Ashe tilted his head curiously. "What makes you say that?"

Petra attempted to answer, but her mouth hung agape with no reason coming to mind. "I am… unsure of that as well," Petra replied, letting out a hollow laugh. She looked up to where the sun began to peek over the horizon.

Petra played with the strands at the end of her braided hair, thinking why she'd lost confidence in herself.

"This may be silly, and perhaps selfish, but I am missing the sunrise of my home. It was one of the reasons I was wanting to have learnings for wyvern flying. The sunrise in Fodlan is a wonderful sight, but it is not like the sunrise in my homeland," Petra quietly explained. "Perhaps if I can be seeing the sunrise in the sky, from above the clouds, I can be closer to home."

Petra sat in silence, for some reason expecting Ashe to be fixing her with an odd stare. She took a peek and found anything but that.

"I think that's a wonderful reason, Petra. It's not silly, and I'd hardly call it  _ that _ selfish. Honestly, I think it's OK to be selfish sometimes. If that's why you want to learn to fly a wyvern, then no one should say otherwise."

Brigid's Princess raised an eyebrow at Ashe, the physical epitome of selflessness even in the most mundane and dire of circumstances, telling her it was OK to be selfish. Not wanting to ruin the moment, she turned her head to the horizon before her.

"Thank you, Ashe."

She wondered if that caught him by surprise, hearing him shift in his spot on the roof the moment she spoke.

"Your welcome, Petra."

More silence came over them, as they sat in silence, cool air blowing against them and brushing through their hairs. Her classmate eventually moved first.

"Well, I, um..." Ashe began. "I should probably take my leave, you know, to get some rest. And besides, I'm sure you'd rather be here on your own, so… yeah," Ashe awkwardly pushed himself up.

Petra looked at Ashe with momentary confusion, and shot out her hand without thinking, pressing it over her classmate's hand.

"You do not have to leave, if you do not want to, Ashe. It has been a long time since I am watching the sunrise with someone at my side."

Petra daringly looked into Ashe's eyes, lost in his sea-green orbs.

"Stay with me. Please."

She prepared to hear a no, but to her surprise, Ashe sat a little closer to her.

"Alright. I can stay, if you want, Petra."

With a grateful nod, they both sat together in silence until Petra closed the gap between them and leaned against him. Ashe reciprocated and huddled closer against her to stay warm until the sun rose entirely.


	7. A Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe travels to Brigid in order to help Petra get to Garreg Mach for their reunion. In the end, it goes better than he expected.

Stealing wasn’t usually in Ashe’s code of ethics- not usually anyway. Sometimes when desperate times called for desperate measures, he found himself regressing to habits of his younger self-, his sights set higher than just mere pieces of bread and fruit.

But knowing he’d stolen an enemy ship, Ashe didn’t feel as bad as he’d thought he would. Adrestia could do with one less ship- unfortunately, Brigid could’ve also used one less Adrestian ship on its shores. Being a one-person crew on board the vessel, along with his wyvern companion was undoubtedly suspicious in the eyes of Brigid, presumably having dealt with their fair share of Adrestian spies after the war began.

It was enough for a battalion of Brigidian warriors to forcefully tie down his distressed wyvern on the ship he’d hijacked and to haul him off to their King, Petra’s Grandfather.

Ashe was more than grateful that Petra had recognised him when he was tossed to the ground and immediately ordered his release. He could hardly remember his flurry of emotions when Petra embraced him, calling him a fool in her native tongue, yet sincerely thanking him for his efforts.

Now he was seated at a table with Petra, her mother, and her Grandfather, who was still the  _ King of Brigid _ , yet welcomed him to his home like he was an old friend.

It made for a very awkward family lunch, especially with the language barrier. When they’d finished, Petra dragged him away, to her mother and Grandfather’s amusement.

“Ashe, I cannot believe you are being here!” she hissed, crossing her arms.

The aspiring knight rubbed the back of his head. “I was gonna say; hopefully, I don’t need to explain myself, do I?” Ashe laughed but stopped when Petra’s glare didn’t let up. 

“R-right. Um, well, it’s kind of a long story, but, the long story short is, I ran into Ferdinand. The Mittelfrank Opera Company hired the mercenary group he’s apart of to escort them across various Empire and Dukedom territories. Of course, Dorothea was there, and they both gave me updates on how you- and all the other Black Eagles students were going.”

“And when I heard that you were under house arrest, I sort of blurted out the idea that I’d come to Brigid to help you escape so that everyone can make it to the day of the Millenium Festival at Garreg Mach. Ferdinand and Dorothea were reluctant in agreeing, but they still had connections with nobles in the Empire who were sympathetic to Fhaergus. So with that, I sort of just... stumbled my way here, if I’m being honest.”

“Is that being it?” Petra raised an eyebrow. “You are wanting to steal me away from my Grandfather and Mother? Is it not customary in Fodlan to be taking someone to dinner and be presenting a ring before that?”

Ashe faltered, unsure what to say. “Um… yes, I suppose- w-wait! No! That’s not- Petra!” Ashe groaned, hiding his face away in embarrassment as Petra’s laughter rung out like a song he could listen to all day.

“You reactions are still having adorableness,” guffawed Petra.

“Petra, please. I don’t know what’s going to happen now, but if we’re going to I’m sorry- wait, what did you say?”

Petra walked forward and stumbled into an embrace, burying her head in the crook of his neck. “You are talking too much,” Petra mumbled. “I was feeling fear that you were hurt. I am grateful for your help, Ashe, but please be thinking of yourself. I am not wanting to think about the Empire hurting you because of me.”

“Petra” Ashe whispered, his voice and mind racked with guilt when his heart dropped. “I’m so sorry, I-”

Petra pulled her head out from his neck and huffed. His apology stopped midway when Petra placed a finger to his lips. “Ashe. May I kiss you?” Petra whispered, bashfully. The Faerghan man blinked, contemplating what the Brigidian woman asked of him.

“S-sure, if you really mean it…”

She stood on her toes and silenced him with a kiss. When she pulled away, Ashe felt utterly disoriented.

“W-wait. You weren’t just trying to tease me?” 

Ashe felt one of Petra’s fingers placed against his lips. “I do not want to have regrets. I have been thinking to do that for five years now. Did you know that?”

His eyes widened, astonished that the Petra of five years ago could ever want to kiss his past self like that. “No, I didn’t. We can… continue if you want. I wouldn’t mind,” Ashe whispered, eager to feel the sensation of her lips against his, the magic of it still lingering on his lips.

“Later, yes,” Petra pulled away. “But since you are here, we must be thinking of our strategy to arrive on the promised day.”

“Oh. Right, yeah,” Ashe nodded, a little disappointment lingering in his voice.

Petra quirked one of her eyebrows up, amused. “What is wrong? Do you forget already?”

“What? No, no, I, you know,” Ash scratched the side of his head absentmindedly. “The kiss. It was nice. Can I kiss you again? O-only if you’re OK with it, I mean,” sputtered, still reeling from the embrace, Ashe utterly embarrassed. Petra giggled and pressed her lips to Ashe’s nose.

“Perhaps later tonight, when we are not having an audience, if you are wanting. For now, we must be tending to the concerns my Grandfather’s advisors are having with your presence and our return to Garreg Mach.”

Ashe’s head tilted, curiously “Audience?”

“My Mother and Grandfather were following us. They are both gone now.”

Ashe felt his heart drop as if he wasn’t embarrassed enough. He couldn’t imagine how they’d felt, seeing a foreigner man appear on their shore and start kissing their island’s only Princess. “R-right. So, um, just the advisors?” He asked, desperately switching topics. “Not your Mother or Grandfather?”

A chuckle escaped Petra’s lips. “Do not be worrying about such things, Ashe. They are both very approving of you.”


	8. Artwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years after the war, Ashe and Petra find each other in front of a painting from the distant past.

Ashe wandered through the halls alongside his classmates, Professor Flayn enthusiastically pointing out various artifacts that had been recovered over the years dating back to the Fodlan War. The exhibition, organised by the institute he currently attended as a high school student, Garreg Mach, was as a part of the school’s efforts to preserve the continent’s history for years to come. 

Their exhibition started with various items belonging to critical figures in the war. Pages of a diary from Duke Aegir and his wife of songs and poetry they often wrote to one another, a reassembled ceremonial sword made by request of the eventual wife to the heir apparent of Fraldarius, a logbook of the various wedding expenses for Gloucester, some made in part by request of his eventual wife, the Second Blade Breaker.

Ashe’s favourite was a bar of gold with the names ‘Balthus’ and ‘Anna’ carved into it with lovely writing, and a heart surrounding it. The small blurb about it read that the most famous merchant during and after the war had done the unthinkable (at the time) and cancelled all debts the former Albrecht heir owed her. In exchange, they journeyed together to find the mythical site of El Dorado. Whether they found it, and whether it existed was still up for contention, but most historians agree that they married each other shortly before leaving the continent for some years.

Something about that put a smile on Ashe’s face. To travel so far away from home for someone else, to, in a literal sense, travel to the ends of the earth with someone you loved. It appealed to Ashe more than he would ever admit to his friends; he loved the romance, especially those with happy endings.

Despite this, Ashe was more curious to find out what was discovered about the Generals dubbed the ‘The Arrow of Justice’ and the other known as ‘Brigid’s Queen’,. The institution of Garreg Mach had recently announced that evidence of the Arrow of Justice’s whereabouts after the war was found in  _ Brigid _ of all places and would be temporarily on display at the exhibition.

Excited to see just who ‘The Arrow of Justice’ was, Ashe’s excitement reached enough of a peak that he broke off from his group and wondered to another part of the exhibit. The hallway he aimlessly entered was nothing but paintings made by Ignatz Victor, the most famous artist of his era, his name known as one of the greats throughout the world even now.

Most Ashe had seen before. Many depicting various battles throughout the war, landscapes from different parts of Fodlan, his depiction of the final battle between King Blayddid and Emperor Hresvelg, and his magnum opus, ‘The Goddess’, made based on the likeness of his wife. Moving past them, Ashe continued to the next part of the exhibit, the centrepiece, where ‘The Arrow of Justice’ would supposedly appear.

And to his surprise, it was so much more than that. Surrounded by a large crowd of people, the centre exhibit’s was arguably the most extensive, most salient feature being a painting dubbed ‘The Arrow of Justice, and the Queen of Brigid.

Professor Flayn’s words barely registered in his mind when he stared at the various artifacts of Fearghan and Brigid in origin owned by what he now knew was The Silver Knight and his wife, Brigid’s Queen. It was more than just an exhibit for ‘The Arrow of Justice’, it was a celebration of his and his wife’s lives together, of Faerghan and Brigid culture as one.

He stared up at the painting in confused awe. If he didn’t know any better from the freckles, silver hair and his smile, he would’ve thought that was an older version of him… from the past. Before he could confuse himself, someone’s shoulder bumped into his.

“Ah! Sorry,” Ashe shifted to the left.

“No, it is OK. Please be having my apologies,” the person apologised right back. 

Ashe shook his head. “It’s OK. Don’t worry about me,” he mumbled, lost in the beauty of the picture before him.

“It is beautiful, is it not?” the same voice whispered, just enough for him to hear. Ashe turned his head towards the girl who spoke; his words died on the tip of his tongue. He recognised the girl- Petra Macneary, a transfer from Brigid who joined his grade in the latter half of the previous school year. He hadn’t talked to her as much in the new school year compared to the last, but they still communicated with each other.

“Yeah. It is,” Ashe agreed, staring back up at the painting. 

The sound of silence was deafening, even amongst the chatter around them. Ashe felt as if he had something to say in the moment, but he couldn’t figure out what.

“Ashe?”

He tilted his head towards Petra. “Y-yes?”

“You are looking similar to the Silver Knight, as well I am thinking. Your name is also Ashe. It is odd, is it not?”

“Yeah, I suppose it is. Actually,” Ashe looked back up, then back at Petra. “You kind of look like the Queen of Brigid too. You have the mark under your eye, and you’re even from Brigid as well. It sounds like to me you’re secretly a Princess from Brigid,” Ashe chuckled. “But still… the Silver Knight?” Ashe tilted his head curiously.

Petra pointed to a small plaque under the painting that Ashe didn’t even realise was there. “‘The Silver Knight’ is being another name given to the Arrow of Justice by his Queen when he was becoming a knight of Brigid,” Petra explained to him.

“Huh. That’s pretty cool. The Silver Knight, huh?” Ashe repeated his name, an idea for a story forming in his head as his eyes scanned the plaque.

Her explanation checked out, matching that of the plaque, which made mention of the Queen’s name.

“...Petra?”

“Yes?”

Ashe blinked out of his stupor and turned to his classmate. “Ah, not you, but… also you?”

Petra giggled. “I am knowing what you are thinking. My mother and father was naming me after Petra, a queen from far up in our family line, who established The Knights of the Blue Sun with her husband, Ashe Ubert. Sometimes I have curiosity if it is the work of the spirits that have leading me- us, here in this moment.”

Ashe’s mind started connecting dots that he didn’t know were there.

Ashe. Petra. Gaspard. Brigid. It was almost as if…

Ashe’s eyes almost widened out of his skull. “Wait. Family line? You’re...?”

A hand tapped his shoulder. “Ashe,” she said, bringing his attention to her once more. “May I have your hand?”

As if it moved on its own, Ashe held out his hand to Petra. Pulling something from her jacket’s pocket, she placed a small item in his hand. Holding his hand with both of hers, Petra gingerly caressed them, her touch welcome and somehow familiar.

“It has been too long,  _ Mo grá _ ,” Petra whispered, a shy smile replacing her usual neutral or confident expression, her face doused in a blush. “Are you remembering?”

A little piece of a memory came back from the deep recesses of his mind.

“ _ Mo Ghrá _ ” Ashe blurted out in a language that he didn’t understand, yet understood that single phrase perfectly.

_ My love. _

“Is it really you…?” Ashe said in utter disbelief

Petra nodded silently and opened her mouth to speak before someone called her over from the back of the crowd. Their hands separated in an instant, and Petra dug into her bag, finding her phone. She took one glance at him, her phone outstretched with a grin that made his heart skip a beat. 

“Here. I am thinking it is best we are talking more often, yes?”

Ashe blinked, still trying to comprehend the sudden the memory of years past he’d felt rush through his mind. “S-sure,” Ashe squeaked, entering his number into Petra’s phone.

Excitedly, she placed it away and slung her bag on her back again. “Will I be seeing you later, Ashe?”

The young man nodded immediately. “Y-yes! Of course, you will, Petra.”

Relieved, she took off into the crowd to her group of friends, leaving Ashe alone to contemplate what on earth just happened, and the memory he saw a single moment of that he didn’t recognise.

Ashe glanced down at the item he’d received moments ago.

And in an instant, it stole his breath away. It was a charm of two flowers bonded together as one, a sunflower and a violet, just as it was framed in the portrait by Victor Ignatz. 

The violet was his and his past self’s favourite flower, and the other he knew was Petra’s favourite for both the one long past and the one that stood before him moments ago. 

He looked back to the crowd to find Petra, but to no avail.

With nowhere else to look, he stared back up at the painting one last time, a new sense of familiarity washing over him.

Ashe scurried back to his group and rejoined them quietly, still tightly holding onto his charm.


	9. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a mission goes horribly wrong, Ashe wakes up in a cave lit with a fire, two sleeping wyverns and a furious Petra.

"H-hey. Are you OK, Petra?"

"You did incredibly in battle, Ashe Ubert," Brigid's Princess ignored his question.

Ashe wanted to hope Petra was messing with him, even despite her irritated tone and her glare directed down at his wound, not caring for Ashe's wince when she pulled tightly on the bandage to completely cover up his injury.

"Oh. Un, thanks?" Ashe said quietly, still hoping he mistook the fact she wasn't happy.

"I am speaking with extreme sarcasm, Ashe" Petra frowned, unimpressed. "Please be raising your shirt. I must be seeing the wound."

Ashe complied and lifted the right side of his shirt up. Petra's fears never became realised, a sizeable bruise swollen coloured with a dark purple laid underneath it instead of something worse, but seeing it made Ashe recall what happened before he woke up. 

It all happened too fast. Ashe spotted some rogue mages who'd split off from their battalion, aiming an attack at Petra, one of his fellow wyvern riders. Without time to draw his bow, and to be the aspiring knight he was, he threw himself between Petra and the attacks, all three managing to tag him at once. A fire burned on his arm, ice stabbed him in this side through his armour, and a wind spell made enough of a dent in his armour to cause Ashe to lose balance off of his wyvern that Ashe came tumbling off of it, falling to the ground and passing out.

So when he woke up in the back of a cave, sounds of rain falling to the earth echoing throughout, surrounded by the warmth of a fire, two sleeping wyverns and a furious Petra, who glared daggers at him as she dressed his wounds, he wondered if he really had it any better than before.

"Petra, I-"

"Do not speak. Please," Petra interrupted him with no detectable emotion in her tone. Ashe desperately wanted to say something. Ask what's wrong, say sorry, anything. He remained silent as Petra gently pressed her hand over the bruise, a gentle white light emanating from her hands. His bruise disappeared after a minute, but Ashe could tell Petra was drained from the battle; using any more white magic would cause her to pass out.

"I'll be fine, you just-"

"No," the Princess stood and turned away, limping towards the fire as she shivered.

"W-wait. You're hurt, Petra," his eyes widened. "H-here," he pushed himself to his feet and motioned to her wyvern. "You go lie down, and I'll help you too."

"Ashe you must not move so much," Petra raised her voice at him, sounding much like the monarch he'd pictured she'd be.

"I can't let you just sit here while you're hurt, Petra," he stepped forward, dismissing her concerns, even despite wincing through a jolt of pain in his side. 

"I will be fine," huffed Petra in frustration. "You are the one that is needing to be lying down."

"Petra, you're  _ hurt _ ," Ashe pointed to one of her legs that she refused to put any weight on until he pointed it out. "The Professor taught me some white magic, too, remember? I can heal you if you really need it."

"I am not needing it."

Ashe was beginning to feel frustrated, rare as it was. "Did I do something wrong, Petra? You don't normally act like this. I don't think I've ever seen you angry like this at some for a long time, much less at me."

Petra folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I am having trouble thinking why you are asking such a thing. You were hurt, Ashe. Three mages were attacking me, and you were flying in my way to protect me."

"Of course, I was going to protect you. Are you saying you wanted to get hurt instead?"

Petra made a face. "I am not saying that. I am simply not wanting for you to be hurt, Ashe."

Hearing that made a funny feeling flutter in his chest, swept to the side by more pressing concerns. 

"Well, I didn't want you to get hurt, but even now you're still limping. At least let me heal that for you, and we can discuss this later. Please, Petra?" Ashe murmured. The young girl folded her arms and stared at him for a few more moments before she conceded.

"Fine," Petra conceded, carefully setting herself down against her slumbering wyvern's warm body.

Ashe knelt, wincing a little as he sat down cross-legged next to her. "I'll try not to move too much, if it makes you feel better, OK? I'd hate to make you worry so much," Ashe reassured her, and for the first time that evening, she smiled at him.

"Thank you," whispered Petra. Ashe nodded, his expressions mirroring hers. Lifting her leg into his lap carefully through tiny jolts of pain, she carefully placed it on his lap. Ashe closed his eyes and felt magic slowly course through his body and to his hands, as the Professor taught him.

His hands hovered over Petra's leg, where she pointed out the pain was coming from, a fracture or two, Ashe had to guess.

"Is there something wrong?" Petra asked, noticing Ashe's hesitance.

"Are you sure I can go ahead? Better to double-check- I'd hate to make you uncomfortable."

Petra's expressions softened, grateful for Ashe's concern. "How gentlemanly," Petra giggled, and the tension around them disappeared entirely. It sounded like music to his ears and his heart when it beat a little faster than before. "I am appreciating of your concern, Ashe; but yes, you may continue."

The young boy gently pressed his hands to Petra's leg, magic seeping from his hands into her body, the fractures in her repairing themselves a little longer than it did for his bruise.

"There. All done. Anywhere else?"

Petra shook her head. "There is none," she said off-handedly, focused on settling her leg that once sat in his lap gently on the ground. Ashe instinctively raised an eyebrow at his classmate, who returned the look back to him.

"I promise, Ashe," Petra reassured him. "The other wounds I was bandaging myself."

"OK," he sighed, "I believe you."

"Good."

Their voices settled into silence, the two soldiers left to ruminate over tense the atmosphere had become between them, shocking as it sounded to them both. Only the sounds of fire crackling, wyverns snoring and pouring rain filling the silence where their voices once filled it.

"Petra?" Gaspard's heir spoke again after a few minutes.

"Yes, Ashe?" softly replied Brigid's Princess.

"I'm sorry for doing what I did before. It was stupid of me to-"

"No," Petra sighed. "Do not apologise. I was not being of the right mind. But please be having my apologies, Ashe. You are hurting because I was not having carefulness. My anger was not in the right place also."

"Petra," Ashe breathed. "That's not anything to be sorry for. We were in battle, and a lot was going on. I was only trying to make sure you didn't get hurt- and that's not your fault," Ashe insisted. "And it's OK to be angry. It was kind of brash of me to do that…"

"Kind of?" repeated Petra questioningly.

"...OK, maybe not kind of. Very," Ashe chuckled.

"Hapi was correct," Petra frowned. "You are too selfless sometimes."

"I suppose," Ashe shrugged. Silence filled the air until something jogged Ashe's memory. "How are we going to find our way back to camp? I can't imagine how the others must be feeling if they can't find us."

"Let us worry about that later. We are not in any shape to be flying; I am thinking." Petra hummed, her head pressed against her wyvern's body. "Ashe I am feeling cold... may I? Petra asked carefully, her eyes downcast at his side.

"May you? Do what?"

"This," Petra answered his question and showed him; by moving closer to him, wrapping her arm around his and leaning against his body. "If this is comfortable for you, then I will be sleeping," the young woman stated, followed by an unsightly yawn- it was rather endearing. "Good night, Ashe."

"Oh. OK." Ashe could feel a blush creep upon his face, fighting off the urge to smile, his stomach doing somersaults. "That's a great idea," Ashe approved but fell on deaf ears, Petra already in a deep sleep.

The Gaspard heir chuckled and let sleep take him over all the same.

"Good night, Petra."


	10. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe wants to know Petra's dream.

Petra’s words rang in his head over and over again, playing on loop.

_ I will be establishing an order of knights for you in Brigid. _

_ I am going to become the Queen of Brigid. Ashe… you will become my guardian knight. _

_ Do not have fear. I will be making your dream come true. _

Petra spoke to him with so much confidence, as if she knew that what she spoke to him would become a reality, even in the face of potential rejection. Ashe knew that played a role in why he accepted it, even after a moment’s hesitation. Her smile and physical beauty won him over, but her confidence was something he didn’t realise until that moment he found extremely attractive.

But as Ashe laid on his back, sprawled out in bed, it only occurred to him then that he didn’t know Petra’s dream. She wanted for Brigid to be seen as equals with Fodlan, for Brigid to become dependent from the continent entirely. Still, he wondered if she had any other dreams for herself once she attained her dream of independence fro Brigid under her rule.

Taking a peek outside through his window, the evening had begun to fall over the monastery. With the question lingering in his mind as it always seemed to, Ashe groggily got out of bed and strolled up to Petra’s room first, when he didn’t see her at the pond. He knocked on the door twice and felt immediately relieved when Petra opened the door that he didn’t have to search the entire monastery for her; not that he wouldn’t have put the effort in for her.

Brigid’s Princess stood before her in her nightgown, her hair down and sticking out and cover parts of her face- it was odd seeing her slightly unkempt, yet adorable all the same.

“Oh! Hello, Ashe,” Petra beamed. “How can I be helping you?”

Ashe forced cleared his throat to snap himself out from staring. “Do you have time? I want to talk about the other week. You know- in the cathedral.”

Petra’s eyes widened, connecting the dots. “Oh, well…”

“Please don’t mind me, darling,” a new voice interjected into the conversation. Dorothea Arnault walked out from another part of Petra’s room, dressed in a manner quite unlike Petra herself. “I have plans for tonight,” the woman said cryptically, strolling past them both.

“Be safe, you two, OK?” she called back to them, waving goodbye.

“D-Dorothea!” Petra said slack-jawed at the woman, while Ashe glanced away, embarrassed at the implication. “Please be coming in,” Petra sighed, stepping aside to allow Ashe in. The young man carefully walked in, taking a seat on Petra’s bed.

“What was that about? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Petra sat next to him. “Dorothea was talking with me about certain.. things.”

“Things?” Ashe questioned, suspecting she was hiding something.

“...Our conversation in the cathedral,” she answered immediately. “I am thinking of that conversation a lot. That perhaps I was being too forward, or inconsidering... inconsiderate, for your family.”

Ashe had thought about that too. It would be a lot to ask of his siblings to take their belongings and move to Brigid with him, Ashe recognised that. But he knew that it would be a lot to ask for them to adapt to living without him around to support them wherever he could. 

And yet, ignoring that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Ashe knew where he wanted to go after the war’s end, without a shred of doubt in his mind.

“Petra,” Ashe said soothingly. “Who gave you that idea? Was it Dorothea?”

The Brigidian woman shook her head. “No. She was listening to me… what is the word?” Petra sighed, knitting her eyebrows together. “...Rambling. Yes. Lots of rambling. These doubts are being born from my mind, I am knowing.”

“Well, you can stop doubting yourself now,” reassured Ashe. “I made a promise, didn’t I? I’m not going to go back on my word once I’ve said it. We’ll still go to Brigid together once this is all over.”

Petra’s features softened into a grateful smile. “Thank you, Ashe.”

“Not a problem,” Ashe shook his head, grinning. “Actually, I have something to ask of you, Petra.”

“You are? What is it?” asked Petra curiously.

“Do you have a dream? Besides wanting for Brigid to be free, I mean. Is there anything else you dream of?”

Petra hummed, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “No. There is one I was having, but it has already come true.”

Ashe quizzically tilted his head at her. As if she sensed the question he was going to ask, Ashe felt Petra’s hand gently intertwine with his. He glanced down in the space between them and back up at Petra, her eyes gazing into his with a bashful smile.

She took his breath away again like she did so many times before.

“M-Me?”

Petra nodded. “Yes. I have been thinking about you for a long time now, when I am awake, in battle, or when I am sleeping. I wish for you to remain by my side, even as I leave home for Brigid. I am knowing it is selfish, but I cannot help these feelings in me-”

“Petra,” Ashe turned to face her, propping his left leg up on the bed. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

The future guardian knight took a proper hold of Petra’s hand. “If that’s what your dream is- then I suppose there’s no better time to say this now,” Ashe chuckled to stave off his sudden nervousness.

“Petra Macneary. When this war is over, and when I return to Brigid with you, I promise to do everything in my power to help support your dreams as you do mine. Brigid’s independence. Bettering the welfare of your people and keeping them safe. Everything. Your dream is my dream, Petra. And I couldn’t think of a better person to share them with. I want you to remember that, always-”

Without a moment’s notice, Petra shut him up with a passionate kiss, to which he happily returned. When they pulled apart, her hand ran affectionately through his hair, her eyes shining with tears that threatened to burst out from them. 

“I do not deserve you,” Petra whispered, the biggest grin he’d ever seen adorned her face, her radiant beauty on full display just for him.

“I don’t deserve you, you mean,” he calmly corrected, rubbing her cheek. “You deserve the world, Petra.”

The woman shook her head, quite amused. “Please kiss me before we are arguing about something silly.”

Ashe laughed heartily. “Yeah. I think I can do that.”


	11. Swimming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe swims with Petra in the ocean for the first time.

It was no secret Petra missed Brigid. Though she didn’t explicitly say as such, the way she spoke of her homeland to others made it evident to most who looked beneath the thin veneer that was her outward enthusiasm that she longed to see her home again, even if it was only for a short visit.

It was something she was trying to control - perhaps out of some strange sense of shame- even now as Petra engrossed herself in a conversation with a boy in her grade, she’d taken a shining to. 

“...But to be swimming is what I really love,” Petra sighed, leaning against a pillar, tempted to daydream before Ashe’s enthusiasm interrupted that temptation.

“Swimming in the ocean?” Ashe said in awe. “I’ve never had the chance. What’s it like?”

Petra glanced at Ashe with furrowed her brows. She suppressed an amused giggle that would’ve escaped her lips had she been any slower, and a polite smile appeared instead. Sometimes she’d taken for granted how close her home in Brigid was to close its beautiful beaches, that Brigid was surrounded by beaches and the ocean unlike Ashe’s home of Gaspard, landlocked around other territories.

Petra furrowed her brows. She’d never really thought she’d had to explain the sensation felt while swimming, but she tried her best. And yet, even what after felt like aimless rambling, Ashe was still intrigued by the conversation as before. Not even Dorothea had as much interest to such an extent he did about her home in Brigid.

It made her all the more homesick, but Ashe’s genuine intrigue was a welcome breath of fresh air she didn’t realise she needed and wanted more of.

“That sounds incredible. I can hardly imagine it, even with how poetic your description was… maybe it’s just because of my time spent in rivers and lakes by comparison.” Ashe leaned his head back in the grass, hands behind his head. “But it still sounds amazing, Petra. Maybe one day I’ll be able to go to Brigid and see it for myself.”

At that moment, the beginnings of an idea planted itself in the back of her mind. 

And after careful planning and trying to convince her family that no, inviting this particular boy she was adamant about to stay at their villa for a week did not mean anything when her other friends would be there, Petra settled with dragging Ashe along with her and her friends to Brigid. 

In the first afternoon after everyone had arrived, Petra watched Ashe in amusement from afar. The boy still could hardly believe he was standing on the sands of one of Brigid’s most pristine beaches. Jolting him out of his focused gaze, Petra grabbed Ashe’s hand and pulled him towards the ocean, where Brigid’s famed crystal clear waters washed against the shore.

“Come with me, Ashe!” Petra giggled, watching him stumble along the white dunes.

“P-Petra, wait!” Ashe stuttered. Petra stopped on a dime and turned back to him, studying his flustered face for a moment when she realised what was probably wrong.

She let go of his hand that she’d sporadically grabbed hold of, and Petra hoped to the spirits that the heat on her face wasn’t her going to light aflame out of embarrassment.

“Please be having my apologies, Ashe. I did not mean to-”

“No!” Ashe exclaimed a louder than she expected. He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. “Uh, I mean, no. That was- I didn’t mind the hand thing. I just… well, I’ve never swum in the ocean before, so I’m a little nervous,” Ashe rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.

“Oh,” Petra blinked. That made sense, she realised. Her excitement was quite high, being back home again. “I have understanding. I will not be rushing for you, then. Shall we wait for the others to be changing their clothes?” Petra suggested.

“Well, we don’t have to if you’d rather swim. I wanna take it easy is all,” Ashe explained, walking towards the beach. Petra followed after him, and the two dipped their feet in the waterlogged sand, sinking into it slightly as more water washed up against the shore, just above their ankles.

“It is feeling wonderful, is it not? The sand, the water, the air. This is what I am loving about my home the most.”

“Yeah,” Ashe nodded in awe, looking at the water that stretched out to the horizon. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he grinned ear-to-ear.

Petra glanced at Ashe, her eyes keenly studying his face. His smile, all the more radiant by the sun shining on him, his freckles, highlighted by the small red flush that still lingered on his face, and his messy hair blowing in the wind. “Yes. It is,” she murmured affectionately.

“What was that?” Ashe asked, utterly oblivious to the words that slipped out of Petra’s mouth.

“I agree,” Petra elaborated with the clearing of her throat. Spirits strike her down if Ashe were ever to hear that AND find out she was staring at him. “It is quite beautiful. Now it is time we are basking more in its beauty, I am thinking. Shall we go?”

Ashe nodded enthusiastically. “Lead the way!” 

Petra stepped towards the ocean’s depths, stepping in further and further, checking in on Ashe all the while. The Faerghan boy kept up by her side until they were waist-deep in water. Petra flashed a grin at him and dove under the water, disappearing under the surface of the calm waves and appearing further out from shore, her hair thoroughly soaked in water. Petra moved closer back to shore and waved for Ashe to meet her halfway. The boy obliged, and just as he joined her, Petra thrust her hand forward, a wave of water splashing over his body and drenching the rash guard that remained dry until then. Ashe blinked at her in surprise, before his mouth turned up in a grin.

In a flash, Petra felt a wave of water crash into her, a surprised squeal echoing around them. Petra immediately retaliated, as did Ashe, back and forth while letting out one bout of laughter after the other slowly inching back to shore.

When they made it back, Ashe got the last laugh, kicking up water on her and retreating to the sandy dunes that remained mostly dry before she could summon another wave.

“That is cheating!” Petra called out to Ashe, who’d made it back to the little umbrella with their and their friend’s belongings under it.

“Cheating? All I did was escape from the water. You never said I couldn’t do that,” Ashe laughed, collapsing back first on a towel. 

“That is not mattering, I am thinking,” Petra huffed remarked with the click of her tongue. “But if we are both having fun, then that is OK, I suppose.” Petra turned on her side and faced Ashe, eyeing his satisfied smile.

“Are you enjoying the ocean, Ashe?”

The Faerghan boy turned to her, his expression soft. “Absolutely. I don’t think I’ll want this trip to ever end at this rate. I haven’t even gotten to dive underwater either and go deeper into the ocean.”

“We can be doing that when everyone else is here if you are liking,” Petra sat up enthusiastically. She saw his mouth part, as if to say something but immediately cut himself off.

“Speaking of that, actually,” Ashe cleared his throat, cheeks warm. “Everyone else is taking a while, aren’t they?” Ashe drummed his finger on the towel beneath him. 

“Yes, they certainly… are.” Petra looked past where their belongings sat in wait, wondering if something had happened until her eyes fell upon Caspar and Dorothea’s phones aimed in their direction, both donning ear-to-ear grins, among a sea of giggling spies watching them from afar.

Unfortunately, Ashe sat up and turned back to the direction of the villa in that very moment, and froze when their audience noticed his gaze. Their audience began to make kissing faces and hearts with their hands, to Petra’s mortification.

Petra wanted to hide her face in her hands from the utter embarrassment- not at the insinuation that they kiss, but they do it while having an audience, to begin with. “Ashe, please be accepting my apologies. They are not-”

“That’s OK,” Ashe squeaked, now staring up at the umbrella. “Don’t worry about them. They’re just being silly. But… I suppose it does sound nice,” Ashe smiled awkwardly.

The Princess let Ashe’s words sink in, the implication of his words heavy on her mind. Kissing Ashe hadn’t exactly been something she never thought of before- even when they were conversing next to that pillar together, the thought had crossed her mind at that moment.

She wondered if everything she’d planned for in Brigid was just for that moment for them alone.

“I am thinking the same. We can be doing that if you wish it,” Petra trucked a stray strand of hair behind her war, Ashe’s shy smile matching hers.

“R-really?” Ashe spluttered, shocked at her blunt statement. “Well, maybe when we’re alone and don’t have a crowd of people approaching us?” Ashe chuckled, one of his hands still brushed up against hers gently.

“That is sounding wonderful,” Petra agreed, taking Ashe’s hand into her and vice versa for but a moment before a crowd of cheerful and keen swimmers interrupted their sweet moment, hands separated from one another.

Petra was a little annoyed, even if she didn’t show it, but the sensation of the rush of warmth in her chest and her heart beating irregularly fast in Ashe’s presence was something she knew at that moment felt right.


	12. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe couldn't remember what his mother's singing voice sounded like anymore, but he could remember Petra's forever.

Ashe thought it was sweet, but also amusing that Felix was so enthralled by Annette’s singing, even if he’d never admit it. Of course, that wasn’t to say anything about Annette. Still, when stoic, battle-hungry Felix Fraldarius started humming a song Ashe heard Annette affectionately call the ‘steak and cake song’ as they cleaned weapons together, it left a striking impression on him.

And he wasn’t trying to make fun of Felix, not at all when he’d brought it up. In fact, Ashe almost felt desperate to know that sensation Felix felt after hearing Annette sing. For a voice to clearly linger long after it’s stopped, for the image of the person it belonged to burned into his mind.

Ashe had experienced that once from years past. The memory of his mother’s face had since faded slowly from his mind. Her singing solemn, bleak, yet also hopeful… or was it peppy and bright with darker undertones? Ashe couldn’t remember clearly anymore.

Not since she’d passed, anyway.

And despite the plays he’d gone to see with Lonato and his siblings and enthralled as he was by renditions of knights tales he’d grown to love, done by both locals in Gaspard or by travelling opera companies, the singing had never caught his attention. Not in the way Annette’s did for Felix or Dorothea, and Manuela’s did for most of those residing in and around Garreg Mach.

Ashe wondered if it was too selfish of him to pray to the Goddess for such things on top of praying that he find answers for what happened in Magdred Way. Staring at the sky as he crossed the bridge from the cathedral, towards his destination long forgotten. Aimlessly strolling through the monastery grounds, Ashe took a detour out to a small forest, near Cyril’s usual spot to cut firewood.

Leaves and sticks crunched beneath Ashe’s boots the further he ventured into the forest, taking in sights and refreshing air of nature, largely untouched by those the bustling monastery housed.

The wind blowing through the air came to a calming halt, as if it voluntarily stopped, leaving the way for a voice to carry through the air near Ashe, singing lyrics that didn’t belong to Fodlan’s language.

The mystery person’s voice went silent for a moment, Ashe almost deflated once the voice disappeared. Before he could rationalise that feeling, the voice echoed wistfully through the air and Ashe’s feet moved on its own.

Ashe still couldn’t quite put his finger on how the voice sounded. In one moment it seemed angelic, the voice conveyed as full of life and hope, and just as quickly turned hollow and haunting, as if the singer longed for something or someone.

The voice continued to echo, even when Ashe found the source of the voice. He stared up both in surprise at one Petra Macneary perched on a high tree branch and in awe of her singing voice. Relaxed against the tree trunk, Petra fiddled with the stem of a sunflower in her hand and breathed a sigh through her nose. She closed her eyes as the wind blew through the loosened strands of hair that sat over the front of her shoulder, instead of tied up into a braid as it usually was.

He watched a little longer as her singing voice jogged memories he’d thought long gone and forgotten.

Petra’s voice sounded just like...

Suddenly snapping out of his stare, Ashe shook his head.  _ ‘Stop staring at her,’ _ he mentally berated himself. Taking a step back, one after the other, Ashe attempted to creep around behind a large tree and retreat back to the monastery.

A plan that would have worked, if not for when his boot stepped on a branch and withered leaves, a  _ crack _ sound emanating from where he stood. Frozen like a deer in torchlight, Ashe watched Petra peer her gaze in his direction, her eyes settling on him. His face went a brilliant shade of red, and an embarrassed grin instinctively grew on his face./

A look of surprise surfaced on her face but quickly subsided. “Hello, Ashe. I am surprised to see you here,” Petra greeted politely with a small smile. 

Ashe smoothed down his jacket and cleared his throat. “Hey there, Petra. I heard a voice that wasn’t far from here and came to see what it was. I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” Ashe awkwardly explained.

“I see,” Petra eyed him with an emotionless gaze. “You were hearing my singing then,” the Princess tilted her head, contemplating... something.

Ashe bit his lips, suddenly feeling nervous. “Yeah, I did. Sorry if you didn’t…”

“You are apologising for too much Ashe. I am grateful it was you who found me,” Petra reassured him, moving her back off the tree’s trunk and shuffling along the branch. “Since you are here, you should join me. I would be appreciating… appreciative of the company.”

“I don’t know Petra, that seems an awful high up,” hesitantly replied Ashe. 

“I have seen you climb such heights in battle before, Ashe. Your skill is impressive. I am having confidence you can do the same,” Petra pointed out accurately. Ashe eyed the free spot on the tree branch next to Petra and eventually gave in to her honeyed, encouraging words.

Ashe carefully climbed up the tree, trying not to damage it too much as he pulled himself up to the branch’s base and sat next to Petra. “There. Usually, I can get up faster in the middle of battle, but since it’s just us, I thought I’d take my time. I didn’t want to damage the tree too much.”

Petra’s expression brightened. “You have great consideration for those around you, including nature, Ashe. That is most admirable, I am thinking.”

Ashe felt his face burn hotter. “Oh, thank you, Petra. I remember you told me about nature having spirits one time, so I figured I’d try not to harm the tree too much,” chuckled Ashe to cover up how awkward he must’ve sounded.

“You are having a belief in the spirits and not the goddess?” Petra asked curiously.

“Well, I’m not really sure about that, but I like that idea of not harming nature, and giving back to it. I think that’s a wonderful part of Brigid’s culture,” Ashe explained. He genuinely found interest in Brigid’s culture, and in many ways took a liking to it’s 

Ashe saw Petra beam at him from the corner of his eye. “Well, I am glad you think that, Ashe,” her voice filled with pride. A small hum escaped Ashe’s lips, and the wind blew by to fill the silence.

A thought occurred to him amidst that he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “You don’t mind if I ask you about your singing, do you?”

Petra looked to the tree’s canopy and sighed. “Well, since you were hearing it, I do not mind.”

“OK. Well, I was wondering about the song. What was it about?”

The look of hesitance on her face worried Ashe, even when she spoke. “The song is being one my mother sang after my father died. It is a song from Brigid about losing a loved one, but how they can be meeting again as spirits. It is very sad, but also happy.”

Ashe felt his heart sink hearing Petra speak of her mother and father again. It made him feel guilty for even asking, even if he knew Petra would insist it was OK. “Yeah. I could tell, it sounded beautiful,” Ashe closed his eyes and heard Petra singing in his head again.

“Beautiful?” Petra laughed sheepishly. “I do not think that is being the case. My singing voice is… not being suitable for the song.”

“I don’t think that’s true at all, Petra. Your singing voice perfectly matched it. Your voice sounded so mystical and haunting at times, but at others, it was bright and hopeful. If I’m honest, I thought it was stunning.”

Petra stared at him, and silence filled the air. A brilliant shade of red covered her cheeks, and Ashe felt his heart drop and quickly broke eye contact. “S-sorry, was that too much? I’m sorry if that sounded weird.”

“No, it is not that,” Petra shook her head. “No one has said that before. I am grateful for your compliment, Ashe.”

A heavy sigh of relief escaped Ashe. “Well, I’m glad you appreciate it because it’s true… actually it reminded me of the way my mother sang as well,” Ashe revealed to her- and so far only her. 

“Your mother?” Petra looked at him with an inquisitive gaze.

“Yeah,” Ashe nodded and smiled sadly. “She used to sing for me a long time ago before she passed away.”

“I am sorry, Ashe,” Petra whispered an apology. Ashe nearly jolted in surprise when part of her hand rested on top of his.

“No, it’s OK. Actually, I should be thanking you. For a long time, I couldn’t remember what her voice sounded like. Hearing you sing made me recall that again. So thank you Petra. That meant a lot to me, even if you did it entirely by accident.

“By accident,” Petra hummed and looked to the canopy. “Perhaps the spirits or the Goddess was guiding you here.”

“Maybe.” Ashe didn’t really know either way. His faith in the Goddess- the small amount he’d gained from his time with Lonato had already wavered long before Magdred Way. But if she genuinely had guided him into the forest through divine intervention to grant his precious memories of old through Petra, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more to it.

Ashe, still feeling Petra’s comforting hand on his, he boldly moved his hand under hers and captured three of her fingers in his palm, his thumb lightly pressing against. He held his breath, and his heart beat loudly against his chest, filled instantly with regret and shame for being so forward with royalty.

But much to his surprise, Petra nestled her left hand’s fourth finger in his palm, and her thumb gently caressed the back of his hand. Ashe looked down in surprise, then up at Petra, whose gaze was locked onto his with a silent smile.

Brigid’s Princess scooted close to his side, closing the gap between them. “Ashe,” she whispered as if she were nervous. “Would you like it if I was singing for you?”

Ashe recalled what Petra said the song was about, and couldn’t fight back the blush that appeared on his face. “Y-yes. I would love that, Petra,” he answered, without hesitation.

Petra relaxed against him and leaned her head on Ashe’s shoulder and sung:

_ Tá buachaill álainn, a dtug mé grá dhi... _


	13. Dessert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe recommends Petra some desserts from the dining hall.

Petra had to admit: she wasn’t the biggest fan of sweets. Controversial opinion, she knew, but it rarely was the kind of food she actively sought out to eat, compared to dinner’s more savoury foods. Though she could appreciate them, sometimes she found herself at the mercy of Dorothea, and Caspar attempts to try their favourite desserts, usually quelled by Ferdinand. The latter only received a steel-eyed glare followed by her childishly sticking Dorothea sticking her tongue out at him.

It was rather amusing at times, but Petra couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ferdinand- Dorothea was usually a wonderful person to be around.

So after yet another back and forth between Ferdinand and Dorothea that left the table quiet, Petra quietly excused herself to return her emptied plate and cutlery. She politely called out to one of the ladies who helped run the kitchen, passing the plate to her.

“Thank you, dear,” the woman smiled widely. “Would you like a dessert or two? We have enough to go around,” she pointed to some plates with desserts of various kinds neatly presented on it. Petra shook her head politely. 

“I am not being very fond of sweets, but I am appreciating the offer.”

“Your loss then, dear” the woman called back as she disappeared with her former plate and cutlery into the kitchen. Petra glanced at the sweet treats, ready to be eaten and shook her head, denying the temptation to take one. 

“Oh, hello Petra!” a voice suddenly called out to her. Instinctively, she turned to its source, giving her undivided attention to one Ashe Ubert, who placed his plate on the bench near them both.

“Hello, Ashe,” she politely greeted with a more dazzling smile than typically ones she gave to even some of her own classmates. “Is there something the matter?”

“Oh, no, nothing, just saying hello. I’m just here to grab some dessert, actually. I do love the spicy fish and turnip stew, but nothing is better than having something sweet and cold right after,” Ashe gushed to Petra’s amusement. He often had the habit of going on tangents when it came to food and cooking. To Petra, it was rather endearing that he was so passionate about it, and flattering that he often asked for her opinion on the meals and snacks he made, that he highly valued her opinion the most among only a select few.

“So,” he continued, glancing at the desserts at the back, just begging to be eaten, but with no one to serve it. “Are you here to grab some dessert too? I know you’re not too big on sweets.”

Petra hummed and mirrored his glance. “I was not having any, but I might be changing my mind.”

“Oh? Well, if you do, I think you’d really like the Sweet Bun Trio,” Ashe pointed to one of the plates. “It’s a really wonderful dessert from Faerghus. The pastry itself is puffy, the dough made with eggs and sugar, and has Albenian Berries and Noa Fruit, so it’s sweetness is super subtle. I think it’s perfect for the kinds of food you like Petra,” Ashe rambled on passionately. 

Petra stared at Ashe, studying his face, his eyes, his smile as he happily explained recommended desserts to her. Unfortunately, it was difficult to look away. Despite how humble and quiet Ashe could be, his kindness and sincerity gave him a radiance that she could help but admire from afar- made all the more difficult when standing so close to him.

“Also, I’d recommend you Peach Sorbet, because it’s truly a wonderful invention, a combination of food and magic to give you the best of both, but I don’t think you’d like the brain freeze it’d give you,” Ashe chuckled. The boy glanced at her, eyes connecting before she could look away, and his eyes widened.

“O-oh, I’m sorry, was I rambling again?” Ashe sputtered, suddenly flustered. Petra diverted her eyes away from him.

“Do not have fear, Ashe, you were not,” she genuinely reassured him. “It is interesting to be listening to you. Your passion is wonderful, I am thinking.”

Ashe shyly grinned. “O-oh, well, that’s reassuring. Thank you, Petra.”

Petra opened her mouth to tell him there was no need to thank her, only for a familiar face to interrupt them.

“Hello, lovebirds! How can I help you?” the woman from earlier asked them with a cheeky smile.

Petra furrowed her eyebrows, replaying what she called them in her head. The heat she could feel radiate off her face betrayed the stoic frown she tried to look at the chef with.

“We are- I mean, I’m after some dessert, please,” Ashe interjected, moving on quickly. “A Peach Sorbet and a Sweet Bun Trio, please,” he asked and turned his head to Petra. “Are you getting anything?”

Petra pondered it for a moment but quickly made up her mind. “I would be liking the same, please.”

“Wonderful! I’ll be right back.”

Ashe looked at Petra curiously once the woman jogged away from them. “Both, huh? Feeling adventurous today?”

Petra hummed. “I did not want any at first, but now my thinking is changing. Your enthusiasm is why I want to try them, Ashe.”

The Blue Lions boy beamed. “Oh, well, I’m glad, Petra. I’m sure you’ll love them.”

“Here you are, Lovebirds! Two Peach Sorbet and two Sweet Bun Trio ready to go. Enjoy!” the chef winked and scurried off to serve someone else.

There was a momentary blanket of awkward air that covered their area of the room before Ashe dispersed of it quickly. “W-well, I’m gonna go ahead back to my table. I hope you enjoy the desserts Petra.”

“I am sure I will be, Petra nodded and turned back.

“Oh!” Ashe called out to her before Petra left out of earshot from him. “Also, I hope your brain freeze isn’t too bad.”

“I do not know what it is meaning by brain freeze, but I grateful for the warning. Farewell, for now, Ashe,” Petra reassured and said goodbye to him, eager to eat dessert more than she had been dinner before she’d entered the dining hall that afternoon; a feat truly only capable of being done by Ashe. The Princess carefully placed them both down on the table before taking her seat next to Dorothea.

“You got dessert? And  _ two _ of them?” Caspar blinked at Petra incredulously.

“Of course,” Dorothea beamed. “Our aspiring silver-haired resident knight wouldn’t have anything to do with convincing you to eat  _ dessert _ of all things, would he?”

“Ashe?” Ferdinand asked aloud, curious. “If he is responsible for such a feat, then I am hardly surprised. He is quite skilled at bartering.”

Petra all the while silently bit into her pastry, the sweet bun instantly getting approval from her as she bit into it more, one satisfying mouthful after the other.

“...I am liking this one,” Petra nodded approvingly. She eyed her cup of sorbet next and dug her spoon into it, pulling out a large portion of it.

“Uh, Petra? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Caspar tried to stop her but was too late. Petra already consumed the mouthful, and immediately received her approval. Petra ruminated on the taste, her mind recalling her small talk with Ashe moments prior. And their conversation while they huddled by the fire in the knight’s training area. And when they would barter together in the market.

Or more accurately, Petra realised, it reminded her-

Petra suddenly groaned, her teeth grit as she placed her hand on the side of her head, rubbing it gently. The unfortunate side effect of the sensation of ice freezing the inside of her head caught her off guard and spread throughout it rapidly. She looked up and found Ashe’s eyes directed at her with a look of sympathy; the cold spell in her mind was suddenly gone in the moment.

_ Sorry _ , he mouthed to her.

Petra sighed and shook her head.  _ It is OK _ , she mouthed back. With a sigh of relief, Ashe continued to finish his own desert.

“Petra, are you feeling well?” Edelgard called from across the table, Dorothea rubbing her back in circles for some manner of comfort.

Petra couldn’t believe herself. Embarrassing as it sounded in her head, and embarrassing it would be when she would later confess it to him, the sweet taste, soft pastry and cold chill of the desserts began, and would forever to her be associated with Ashe Ubert. His passion, his smile, those adorable freckles…

W spread through Petra’s chest, and heat rose in her cheeks. 

It wasn’t so bad, she supposed. There could be worse ways for Petra to realise she was in love with the physical embodiment of a cinnamon roll and the sun.

“Yes, I am fine,” reassured Petra, despite the cold chill lingering in her mind- a cold chill that she welcomed the sensation of now.

No one seemed convinced, but Petra didn’t care. She ate the remainder of her Peach Sorbet quickly and sat up, satisfied with the food. She promptly shuffled her way to the front bench and placed the cup and plate down. 

Not a moment later, a familiar pair of hands placed a plate and cup next to hers as the Blue Lions shuffled out of the dining hall.

“Did you like desserts? The Peach Sorbet didn’t annoy you too much, did it?”

“No, it did not. I was surprised by it, but I was liking the taste. I am grateful for your recommendation, you have my gratitude, Ashe.”

Her classmate chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, no need to thank me, it was nothing. I’m just glad you enjoyed it.”

Their conversation died down and with nothing else to do their eyes lingered on the other longer than they intended to. Petra didn’t know what came over her to be so suddenly enamoured by his sea-green eyes.

“Hey Lovebirds,” the same chef from before interrupted their staring contest with a smirk. “If you two are going to eye each other like that, please do it elsewhere. Besides, people are staring at you two, you know.”

Petra looked around to see Sylvain and Annette waiting in the doorway, presumably for Ashe, Sylvain amusedly winked, and Annette beamed at her with a wave and a silly grin.

Petra waved back at her as Ashe glanced away from the direction of the Black Eagles table, his freckled face filled with a blush yet again.”

“R-right. So, um, I gotta go now but… I’ll see you later?” Ashe asked, sheepishly.

“Yes, I will. You have my promise.”

Petra waved him goodbye before returning to her table, carefully sitting in her spot in the middle of the bench.

“So, Petra” Dorothea began, her sing-song voice cutting through the awkward air. “Care to explain what that was about?”

Petra huffed.

“No, Dorothea. I do not.”


	14. Hair Styling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe just wants to know how on earth Petra ties that braid of hers.

Ashe didn’t know how Petra did it. Every day he saw her at school, her hair was propped up in one of the most complicated, intricate braids he’d ever seen. He tried tying braids with his sister’s hair, finding it an excellent way to spend time with her, and even with the more basic braids, he’d still somehow occasionally fumble the final result.

So seeing Petra consistently attend classes with her hair perfectly braided without a single loose bit of hair, he’d grown more interested in that than the completion status of his algebra and English homework.

It was incredibly distracting, not helped by the fact he found her extremely cute. For months- no thanks to his nerves- he could never quite find an excuse to ask Petra about her secrets until a month before the opening of Garreg Mach’s history exhibit in Fhirdiad. Waking up earlier than he intended and finding himself unable to sleep, Ashe groggily found himself walking through the gates of Garreg Mach sometime before classes were typically set to begin. Flopping onto a seat in the monastery courtyard, Ashe ate away at a homemade granola bar he’d made the weekend prior.

“Ashe? Is that you?”

The boy’s head looked up and turned to the source of the voice, and to his surprise, found Petra Macneary standing close by, her braid still immaculately put together as it usually was. “Oh! Hello Petra,” Ashe greeted her with a tired smile. “How was your weekend?”

“It was wonderful, thank you,” she beamed, taking a seat next to him. “I went back to my homeland, Brigid, for the weekend, to be seeing my family. I think about them often, so I am grateful for such opportunities,” Petra gushed. 

“Oh, well that’s nice to hear. My weekend was pretty ordinary compared to yours. Not much happened other than homework… unfortunately,” Ashe frowned and slumped dramatically, earning him a giggle from Petra.

Petra opened her mouth to speak, but stopped and frowned at him instead; Ashe wondered if he’d said something wrong. “Ashe, your eyes. They are looking heavy. Was sleep not finding you last night?”

“Huh? Oh, well, sort of,” Ashe gave her his best smile. “I sort of woke up earlier than normal. I couldn’t go to sleep, so I decided to come here early.”

“I see. I have understanding. I am living in Adrestia, so it takes lots more time to be arriving here.”

“Yeah…” Ashe replied and bit into the remainder of his granola bar and stared at his classmate’s hair. “Petra?”

“Yes, Ashe? Is there something wrong?”

Better to ask now than later, he supposed. “Your hair,” Ashe blurted out. “How do you- you know, do it like that? It looks like it takes so much time.”

Ashe watched curiously as Petra grabbed the end of her braid and fiddled with the strands at the end. “It does, but the effort is worth it.” Petra paused for a moment, glancing at the sky as if she were contemplating something. Her eyes locked on with his, Ashe’s heart suddenly beating a little faster.

“It is a special type of braid from Brigid. In my family, it is being taught to mostly women. But men can be knowing how to do it too.”

Ashe unconsciously turned his body, so it was facing her, intrigued by what Petra told him. “I see. So, does it mean there are specific braids for different families too or is it just the one special style?”

Petra’s eyes stared at him quizzically, her eyebrows raised. “You are asking many questions about this. Is it that interesting to you?”

Ashe frowned, confused by her question. “Of course, it is. Ever since you transferred here last year, I’ve become more interested in Brigid’s culture. I thought it’d be better to hear it from someone who’s lived there most of their life than just rely on what the internet tells me.”

A moment in silence passed, and Petra’s expression turned into a grateful smile. “I have understanding. Then maybe…” she trailed off, fiddling with her braid. Her face went from unsure and flashed to an embarrassed smile, her cheeks filled with red. Ashe watched Petra raise her arms behind her head and gently pull at her hair.

“W-wait, what are you…?”

Bit by bit, Petra’s hair came undone until eventually Petra’s hair smoothly fell out of its braid, neat hair loosely draped over her shoulders. 

“I... I can be showing you if you would like. The braid, I mean,” Petra looked at him square on. Ashe could find it in himself to look away, taken in by her new appearance.

She looked beautiful, Ashe thought.

“P-pardon?” Petra blinked, her eyes widened and cheeks blushing a tiny shade deeper of red.

Ashe a wave of dread crash into him, his cheeks mirroring hers in colour. He couldn’t believe he let that slip. “N-nothing!” Ashe stood up, leaving his bag behind. “But anyway. I-I’d love it if you could show me, Petra.”

She awkwardly nodded and faced forward. Ashe marched behind the seat and stood behind her head. Carefully raising his shaking hands, he gently grabbed her soft strands of hair, running her hands through it.

“O-OK. I’m ready when you are.”

Petra nodded. “OK. If you are wanting to be learning this, then you must be doing this first…”

Ashe did his best to follow her instructions, and although his first attempt would certainly not be his best, it left enough of a positive impression on her friends to begin a habit between them that spiralled into so much more.

It left Petra to wonder how Ashe would react when she would eventually tell him the technique to make her braid was something only passed down within her family- Brigid’s royal family. 

But that would be a revelation for another time.


	15. A Fancy Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At her and Dorothea's joint 20th and 23rd birthday party, Petra meets a familiar face again that's not on the guest list.

Petra wasn’t one for large parties like these. She almost always preferred smaller, casual gatherings between friends rather than the grandiose party she found herself at. And it wasn’t if she could refuse, after all, it was a party for both her 20th and Dorothea’s 23rd, one Dorothea had so graciously and painstakingly planned out right under her nose. So of course, she knew it would be rude to refuse to go after all that effort.

Unfortunately, that meant fancy dress, which meant wearing a dress that despite being nothing short of beautiful on her, meant spending hours walking around in a figure-hugging dress that, in hindsight, more constricting than she’d prefer.

As one of the women of the hour, as Dorothea put it, Petra felt obligated to talk and catch up with every familiar face that Dorothea was able to pull from across Fodlan- which made the party feel like a Garreg Mach reunion on top of everything else. Everyone from the illusive Linhardt to Annette, Marianne, Cyril, and even Hapi made an appearance.

But seeing a certain someone, not on the guestlist made her feel more disappointed than she supposed she had any right to judge, remembering Dorothea’s efforts. Such thoughts still made the evening rather tiring very quickly, and Petra infinitely more grateful for the swift action Dorothea’s catering service she’d hired had made to provide for the bustling event.

Breaking off from a conversation with Caspar and Hilda, Dorothea dragged Petra towards the tables where the appetisers had been served in large quantities. Various finger foods from all corners of Fodlan and beyond were present- including one that immediately caught Petra’s eye.

A plate of pastries that had, to her surprise, not been left untouched became her first choice of food for the evening. Without thinking to grab a plate, Petra snagged one up and bit into it immediately. A strong punch of various spices she was intimately familiar with immediately took over her senses, the heat lingering on her taste buds after she ate her mouthful. A satisfied smile rose on her face.

“Petra! Here, take a plate,” Dorothea giggled and handed her a small hefty metal plate. “So what’s this?” Dorothea asked curiously, looking at the remaining half of Petra’s pasty in her hands.

“This is a snack that is common in Brigid. It has many different spices and can be difficult to be finding balance with; but this is perfect, I am thinking.”

Petra didn’t miss Dorothea smirking at her. “Of course. I know I had to hire the best of the best, for us,” Dorothea winked.

“I must be giving my compliments to the chef. This is delightful,” Petra exclaimed happily. The Princess reached out to place another pastry on her plate when someone behind the table cleared their throat.

“Well, I’m glad you like it, Petra.”

The young woman looked up, jolting a little in surprise before it transferred to her expression, her mouth hung open, speechless. The admittedly handsome young man that appeared before her stood taller despite wearing heels and wearing a different outfit as the other caterers, more akin to a chef.

Petra blinked, confused by the man’s familiarity until it clicked in her head moments later. “Ashe?”

Dorothea cleared her throat. “Well, I think I’ll leave you two here. I’ll be back! I just… have things to do,” Dorothea cryptically informed them, disappearing into the crowd before Petra could make an objection.

Ashe stepped around the table and stood by her side. “Are you enjoying your party, Petra?” he asked, regaining Petra’s attention.

“Yes, I am,” she nodded. “But it is getting tiring talking to people with Dorothea. She is more of a… what is the phrasing? A social butterfly, then I am.”

“I understand,” Ashe smiled empathetically. “How about the food? I know you like that little pastry I made there.”

Petra glanced down, then back up at Ashe, bewildered. “You are making this? It is incredible. I am not eating such incredible food from my homeland in some time... ”

Ashe grinned with a solemn nod. “Of course. When Dorothea had made the special request, we make some Brigidese food for you specifically. You see, I actually went to Brigid last year for a time. I got some experience from the locals making some local dishes, so naturally, I volunteered to handle it for my boss, Head Chef Gwendal. Once I got his approval on the pastry, it was easy to work from there for all the other dishes.”

Petra blinked, baffled at what she heard. “You… were making this for me? And more?”

“Oh! Um, yes. I did,” Ashe simpered. “When I heard from Head Chef Gwendal what Dorothea’s request was and that it was, in fact, Dorothea who had booked the catering company, I wanted you to have the most authentic Brigid cuisine you could get from us. It is your birthday after all, and I knew you missed your home so I thought I’d put my experience to good use…”

Petra stared at Ashe in awe, letting the effort he’d made for her without her knowledge sink in. Ashe was always a hard worker that did his best to make others happy- it’s what she adored about him back when they attended high school together, and Petra had felt beyond elated that he’d hardly changed in that regard.

And it only made Petra realise how much she missed him.

“...Petra? Are you feeling OK?”

The woman blinked, snapped out of her stupor. “Y-yes. I am. I was just spacing out, is all. Please be having my apologies, Ashe.”

“Apologies? You don’t have anything to apologise for,” Ashe chuckled. “Anyway, I should probably go before Gwendal gets all uppity and all…”

Realising Ashe would inevitably have to leave, Petra stepped toward him and grabbed his hand. Knowing she was about to do something rash and irrational, her heart pounded hard against her chest and blood roaring in her ears. Without hesitations, she stood on her toes and pressed her lips for a single moment against his. 

She pulled away and let go of Ashe’s hand. The man blinked, a fierce blush covering his cheeks that matched her own.

“I missed you, Ashe,” Petra said quietly, but enough for Ashe to hear over the noise of the ballroom around them. Glancing at his lips, Petra quickly nabbed a serviette and handed it to him. “You should be taking this quickly. I am thinking your colleagues will be giving you strange stares if you are not.”

Ashe wordlessly took it and quickly wiped away at his lips, any visible trace of their kiss gone off his face.

“I-is the lipstick gone?”

Petra squinted her eyes and nodded in confirmation. “Yes, it is.”

“Right. Um… I think I should go back, as much as I’d love to stay with you. Gewndal’s probably going to lose his mind soon.”

“I have understanding. Thank you for your hard work this evening. I will not forget it.” She bowed to display her sincerity. Petra knew Ashe would feel as if that would be blasphemous, knowing she was a princess, but she did not mind. 

“Right. Well… I’ll see you later?” Ashe smiled sadly.

She returned the expression back to him as well. “Yes. Goodbye for now, Ashe.”

The young man turned his back to her and walked away for, but a moment before he stopped and looked back. 

“Hey, Petra?”

“Yes?”

Ashe licked his lip nervously, Petra could tell. She wondered what was wrong.

“You look beautiful tonight. And I missed you, too.”

Petra’s heart skipped a beat, and suddenly all was right with the world.

  
  



	16. Gift-giving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra gives Ashe presents as a sign of her affections, then receives a surprise of her own.

Petra couldn't believe herself. If you had told her before she arrived at Garreg Mach that one of the struggles she'd have to maneuver, on top of personal ones, would be struggling with romantic feelings for a Faerghan boy, she would've shaken her head, dismissing such a silly joke.

Unfortunately, it was anything but a joke.

The Black Eagles, as a whole, were an odd bunch. Edelgard held the rank of Princess like her yet grasped the power of an Emperor over her head. Hubert always eyed her like a hawk, judging every almost every other thing she did when in sight. Ferdinand was loud and boisterous, but also kind to a fault- she appreciated that at least. Bernadetta didn't speak to Petra often, but Petra knew Bernadetta was a kind soul. Caspar and Petra did not often talk for entirely different reasons, and Linhardt usually fell asleep by the time she'd gotten a sliver of meaningful interaction from him.

Everyone had their secrets they wouldn't share. Even Dorothea, as close as they'd grown, went out of her way to keep details of her time in the Mittlefrank Opera Company in the dark.

Ashe Ubert had stumbled into her life by accident and was an absolute breath of fresh air. He wore his heart on his sleeve, was kind to a fault, and didn't hesitate to make conversation with her like she was an old friend. It didn't help that he was cute- those freckles she'd seen on his face in her dreams made her akin them to stars.

Oh yes. Petra dreamt about Ashe too. That's when she knew she it bad.

Petra stared down at the wrapped present she'd picked out for Ashe's birthday with help from Dorothea and Sylvain. Dorothea suggested flowers, an easy choice considering how cheap a bouquet of violets was. Sylvain suggested a board game, which quickly changed to a rare book, called 'Legends of Chivalry', after Petra quickly explained that Ashe didn't like board games, much to Sylvain's bemusement.

After cutting it too close to Ashe's birthday while waiting for the copy of Legends of Chivalry she'd ordered, Petra asked Bernadetta in secret to help wrap her present, bribing her with slices of cake she'd be given by Mercedes in the process.

It was an arduous process, but she eventually found herself standing in front of Ashe's door, her heart pounding in her chest. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth one last time before she knocked on the door.

A deafening silence blanketed the area around her until the door swung open. Ashe stood before her lacking the typical uniform he wore in favour of a more casual outfit. The boy smiled widely upon seeing her.

"Oh, good morning, Petra!" Ashe exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "How can I help you?"

Petra cleared her throat and tightly gripped her hands around the neatly wrapped bouquet. "I have something for you, Ashe."

Reluctantly, she took her arms out from behind her back to reveal a bouquet of violets in one hand and a wrapped present in the other.

"Happy Birthday, Ashe," Petra smiled, suppressing the nervousness she felt within her.

The boy stared at the bouquet and present, shock written over his face. "Petra… you remembered?" Ashe whispered. Silently he reached out to take them from her hands and inspected both items for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak but immediately clamped it shut, dashing back into the corner of his room. Petra had to wonder if she did something wrong. Fortunately, her fears were dashed as Ashe appeared once more, his present bundled in his left side with the flowers and an expensive-looking box in the other. 

"Here," Ashe held it out to her. Petra took it from his hand curiously, staring at it in wonder. "Have my thanks for this present- and a very late birthday present for you to boot," Ashe rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Ashe, I… please have my gratitude, Ashe," she bowed if only to hide how hot her face felt for a moment. She had no idea what else to say but thank you, too taken aback that Ashe had bothered to get her a gift, even a month later.

"H-hey, no need for that. Look, since we're here, how about we open our gifts in front of each other? Besides, I'd rather make sure you present is to your liking," Ashe reasoned. Petra contemplated for a few moments, ultimately too curious about the contents of her gift to wait any longer.

She solemnly nodded, and Ashe nodded back with an enthused grin. Petra watched Ashe's hands tear apart the paper surrounding the book carefully. Petra glanced down and tore off the rest of the paper. She lifted the lid off the long, skinny box and parted the paper surrounding the item inside.

"Wait… this is the last Legends of Chivalry volume I'm missing from my collection," Ashe gasped, his face breaking into an uncontrollable grin. "I've been wanting to get my own copy for so long. This is incredible, Petra. Thank you so much," Ashe gushed continuously. 

Hearing his celebratory cheer would have enthralled her, had she not spaced out while staring at her present; a brand new hunting knife, custom made from silver that shone in her hands. She pulled it out gently and carefully looked at it from all angles, its weight perfect in her hands. Not too heavy that she couldn't make swift strikes, but not too light that it felt flimsy; a dagger that was fit for her to a T.

The hunting dagger she owned, one of the few possessions she kept from Brigid as a gift from her father, would always hold a special place in her sentimental heart. But she could make room for this dagger; she could make room for Ashe in her heart as well.

Petra placed the dagger back in its box carefully. She looked upon his nervous expression, her eyes shining ever so slightly. Before he could speak, Petra stepped forward and wrapped Ashe in a tight embrace.

"This is my perfection… my perfect present. Thank you, Ashe. I will treasure it for a long time."

Arms wrapped back around Petra's back slowly and pulled her in, out of sight from any passersby.

"You're welcome, Petra."


	17. Wyverns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra and Ashe run into some complications before they can return to Brigid.

Ashe should’ve known something was going on when his wyvern, Rover, became a more little overprotective of Petra’s wyvern, Rúilacha, than usual. Initially, he ignored it, assuming Rover was having an off day. It wasn’t the first time that Rover acted that way around other wyverns in Garreg Mach. Still, with Rúilacha, the two had become fast friends when he reunited with Petra for the first time and enjoyed the time spent with each other when Ashe and Petra would fly to the Oghma mountains to watch the sunset and sunrise.

As the war came to its end, Ashe’s plans to return with Petra to Brigid were put into motion, shortly after celebrating their victory over the Empire concluded. Letters to Dimitri and his respective council were sent to Fhirdiad, detailing his intention to leave the continent, pass his title of Lord to one of his siblings at their discretion, and join Petra in Brigid.

It also acted way to fast track talks for Brigid’s independence, Ashe more than excited to inform Petra of the unfolding developments as he readied his saddle on Rover’s back. Mounting his steed, Rover excitedly pushed off the ground and into the air. Petra and her wyvern, Rúilacha, followed after them, a little slower than usual. 

“Petra! Is Rúilacha, OK?” Ashe asked with concern light in his voice, convinced there was nothing too dire to worry about. Petra’s frown put that to the test.

“I am not sure,” Petra said, gently rubbing Rúilacha’s neck. “I am thinking Rúilacha is acting strangely, but I do not know why.”

“Should we call off our trip, then? We can always go this evening and watch the sunset,” Ashe suggested.

Petra ruminated over the thought and shook her head. “Perhaps she needs some time away from the monastery. I am not recalling the last time we were recently watching the sunset from the Oghma Mountains.”

“Yes, that’s true. It has been a while. And I know Rover’s been restless as well. Haven’t you?” Ashe asked, affectionately scratching his wyvern’s neck. The wyvern let out a huff, excitedly flapping his wings.

“Alright, alright!” Ashe exclaimed, laughing heartily. “Let’s go then, shall we?”

Petra gave him a thumbs up. “Let us go!” 

The wyvern rider pulled on the reins, and their respective wyverns flew up into the air high above the monastery, dashing through the air. Ashe missed this. After all the fighting and diplomacy, he missed this, flying freely through the air without a worry in the world with Petra at his side, cool air blowing through his hair and against his skin. Moments like these are what he never wanted to end.

After some time passed in the blink of an eye, Petra had overtaken Ashe and reached their usual spot first. Ashe landed Rover next to Rúilacha, Petra dismounted and her wyvern curling up on the ground, not a moment after.

Ashe gently dismounted and landed on the solid ground that stuck out from the large cave entrance. Rover marched over to where Rúilacha laid on the ground and sat, watching Ashe and Petra with a strange gaze unfamiliar to both.

“Rover is acting rather strangely as well,” Petra said curiously. “I wonder why…”

“I hope nothing is wrong,” Ashe looked back to the sunrise. “I’d hate for there to be any complications for when we return home.”

It didn’t occur to him that he’d called Brigid ‘home’ until Petra threaded her hand in his.

“Home… yes. I cannot be waiting to be showing you everything I love about it.”

Ashe looked down into Petra’s eyes and smiled. “Especially the beaches?”

“Especially the beaches,” Petra giggled. She stood on her toes and lightly pressed a kiss against his lips, to which Ashe reciprocated. Unfortunately for them both, an annoyed whine let out by Rover forced them apart.

“Alright, alright, Rover. No need to get so upset,” Ashe huffed, striding over towards his wyvern. Petra giggled and followed alongside him towards Rúilacha.

“Rover is quite tense. I am having curiosity if…”

Before she could finish, Rover moved from his sitting position and leapt in front of Rúilacha. The wyvern dipped his head to the ground and let out an intense growl that caught both wyvern riders off-guard. Both recognised the stance as one when wild wyverns usually made when defending other wyverns in its group, or when domesticated wyverns leapt to protect its rider.

Instinctively, Ashe stood in front of Petra. Even though he knew she didn’t need defending, Ashe wanted to- had to, be ready for any possible chance of Petra being hurt, even by his own wyvern.

“Woah, Rover! Hold!” Ashe commanded the winged beast. The wyvern hesitated for a moment, but shook its head and growled louder at them both. 

“Rover? Why are you…?” Petra

Ashe moved his left hand slowly to a dagger that sat out of sight from the wyvern. The man felt a hand pressed against his, Petra’s way of telling him not to draw the blade.

“Petra…”

“Ashe, you will be scaring him if you are doing such a thing,” Petra whispered.

His hand tightened around the blade’s handle until he let go. “Alright… alright, let me try this,” Ashe whispered back. With one step at a time, Ashe approached Rover and Rúilacha carefully holding out his hand towards the winged beast, one of his best friends.

“Rover. I need you to calm down. I don’t know what’s going on…”

Rover roared at him, but his reaction was still hesitant. “But I need you to calm down. _Please._ ” Ashe felt panic run throughout his body.

“Rover,” Petra suddenly marched forward towards the angry wyvern. “I am wanting to see Rúilacha. You must be moving, _now_ ,” Petra ordered, but still shaken by shock. Rover opened his mouth to retaliate with a louder scream.

...Instead Rover let out a cry of pain, Rúilacha biting his tail with a furious growl. Rover leapt away from Rúilacha and glowered in pain. Rúilacha sat up, staring silently at Rover. The two glared at one another for what seemed like an eternity, Ashe’s breath held the entire time. Rover was the first to break off from the staredown, sulking in his corner of the cave while Rúilacha laid back down with an annoyed huff.

Their riders looked between each other, confused and stunned by what occurred moments ago.

“Perhaps we should be returning and asking Seteth about this, I am thinking. I do not know what was happening.

Ashe rubbed his head, a little annoyed that he couldn’t have his quiet moment with Petra, though he didn’t let it show on his face. “Yeah. I think that’s a good idea.”

* * *

Upon their return, the duo called upon Seteth, Flayn, Cyril and the stable hands and explained the situation. The glance that Seteth gave Cyril wasn’t one he recognised, but Ashe felt his heart sink, envisioning the worst possible scenario in his head. Taking them inside, Seteth requested he and Petra remain outside.

Hesitantly, they agreed and stood in silence, waiting for anything to explain Rover’s aggressive defending of Rúilacha. When the stable door opened, Ashe and Petra whirled around to see Flayn beaming at them both.

“Congratulations, you two!” Flayn cheered and skipped out of the stable. 

“Congratulations?” Ashe echoed, his brows furrowed. Ashe 

Petra stood forward, concern written all over her face. “Flayn, what do you mean by that? What are you finding out?”

Flayn toothily grinned at them both. “It would seem as if Rúilacha is a very pregnant wyvern, and Rover is a very overprotective father! Oh the birth of new life, it is the most beautiful thing! Congratulations once again yo two. For now, I will see my brother, Cyril, and stable hands once more and let you know of any other developments that occur soon.

Flayn ran back inside. Ashe’s eyes widened, letting the news sink in. Petra looked back at him with the same expression.

This just made getting home a little more complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally stole the name for Petra's wyvern from Soak's Petrashe fics.
> 
> Also, go read her stuff, it's seriously fantastic.


	18. Bed Sharing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe brings an exhausted Petra breakfast in bed.

Ashe carefully strode down the stone steps, one at a time until he reached solid ground. He let out a sigh of relief and trudged on up towards the dorms, to one particular room that presumably had been oddly still occupied even at this time of the morning, if Dorothea and Caspar’s speculation was correct. Steam from food fresh off of the pan and oven rose up in his face, the wonderful smell of food that finally wasn’t rationed made his nose twitch. It reminded Ashe to be grateful for what they had, the army occupying Garreg Mach having to rely on rations for the first month and a half of their occupation of the monastery. 

Ashe finally reached the double doors to one of the dorm rooms and lightly kicked the door.

“Petra?” Ashe called out. He stood in wait with no answer. He lightly kicked it again. “Petra, it’s me, Ashe. Are you awake? I thought you might be unwell so I brought breakfast for you.”

Still no response. For a moment, Ashe thought to step away from the doors, until metal rattling rang out from behind the doors. The double doors slowly swung open, Petra standing before him in her nightgown, the typical life in her eyes sapped out and her hair loose and unkempt around and past her shoulders.

“Petra? Are you OK?” blurted out Ashe, his eyes widened.

The young woman nodded tiredly. “I am thinking so.” Petra covered her mouth as she let out a yawn as if it wasn’t obvious enough Petra had no ounce of sleep. Giving him the best smile that she could, Petra stared at Ashe in silence. A silence that made him grow restless very quickly.

“Um, Petra? Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

The woman’s eyes widened, and in an instant, she stood to the side and stared at her desk instead of Ashe. “No. There is not. I am thinking the sleepies is not being very helpful,” she coughed. “You may be coming in if you would like.”

Ashe flashed her a sympathetic smile. He could understand. Petra had put in a significant amount of effort into training, to the point of nearly passing out the night prior. It wasn’t until Ashe, and Professor Byleth insisted she go take a break that she did, leaving for an early dinner and excusing herself to her room long before the usual time she would sleep.

And yet, she looked even worse for wear now than before.

“Alright, then. I’ll just put it here on your desk then.” Ashe 

“W-well, I’ll go and be out of your hair now. Unless you want some company. It not, like I said, I’ll go,” Ashe stammered out. Internally, Ashe cringed at his proposition and immediately turned towards the door to save himself from further embarrassment.

“I am not sure what you are meaning by my hair, but I think I would like your company, Ashe. It has been some time since we have had a chance to talk.”

Ashe blinked in surprise and turned back. “Oh. Alright then,” he nodded and closed the doors quietly. Ashe walked to Petra’s bed and sat across from her, the tray with her share of breakfast between them. Brigid’s Princess dug into her food with satisfying hums. Unsure of what to say, Ashe sat in silence for a time as Petra ate her food.

“You are making this, yes?” Petra suddenly asked him between mouthfuls of egg and toasted bread.

Ashe blinked, confused as to how she knew it was his cooking. “Yeah, I did. How did you know?”

“A hunch.” Petra shrugged, unconvincingly. Ashe’s inquisitive stare forced a grin on Petra’s face. She took the spoon and ate a mouthful of porridge. “...Or you are still making the porridge very sweet.”

“W-wait. You still remember that?” Ashe asked, dumbfounded that she’d remember such a little detail about his cooking habits.

Petra consumed another mouthful and smirked. “Of course. I am still remembering Felix and his reactions to it.”

“Oh, don’t remind me,” Ashe groaned, feeling second-hand embarrassment at the memory. “I felt guilty for so long after that. Not that it was my fault, but I still wished I knew.”

“You are right. That is Felix’s fault for not telling you,” Petra shook her head, biting into and finishing the egg and sliced bread. Ashe watched Petra put the bowl to her lips and raised the lid up, drinking up the rest of the porridge she missed. He couldn’t help but mirror the look of satisfaction on her face when he saw the bowl and plate of food he prepared for her all empty. The Princess put the tray on her desk, and Ashe stood up after her.

“You have my-” Petra began, stopped by a fierce yawn. “Ah. You have my gratitude for the delivery of my breakfast, Ashe.”

“Not a problem,” he shook his head. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I just felt the need to help out, seeing as you weren’t there this morning at the dining hall.”

Ashe walked towards the tray, intending to pick it up on his way out. “Oh, also the Professor said you can rest more if you need to, and to not stress about anything else. So make sure you can get some sleep, OK, Petra?”

The young woman looked at him with a blank expression, unable to decipher what she might be thinking. She strode up to him and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him towards the bed.

“P-Petra?” Ashe asked, dumbfounded.

“Ashe. Can you stay with me?” she bluntly asked him, staring into his eyes. “I am still wishing to talk to you about many things.”

Ashe hoped the Goddess would forgive him. Even though Sylvain insisted he finish cleaning up, Ashe wanted to help; but the temptation to spend a little more time with Petra made his heart waver. 

“O-OK. Sure,” he nodded, now more sure of himself.

Petra let go of his sleeve and climbed under the sheets of her bed, snuggling herself closer to the wall. Ashe in the freed up space on the bed and clasped his hands in front of him.

“So. What did you want to talk about, Petra?” came the nervous question, his mind racing, wondering if he did something wrong.

Petra sighed as if he missed something. “Ashe, can you please stand?”

With furrowed brows, he hesitantly complied and watched as Petra folded out the blankets on her bed. He stared down at the blankets, then Petra, at the blankets again, then Petra once more.

“Oh. I see,” Ashe breathed. He swore his heart stopped. It wasn’t the first time they’d slept within the same bed as each other. One way or another, the two ended up sleeping with their bedrolls directly next to each on their first night while on the march to Aillel. It had been a rather embarrassing moment between the two, but when the second night brought down a chillier wind than before, Petra suggested they do it again.

It turned into a strange common habit of theirs. Though it left a question mark on their relationship’s status, a secret still to everyone else somehow, though Ashe suspected Yuri ‘convinced’ the rumour mongers to keep quiet about it. 

“I guess my boots won’t do me any good here, huh?” Ashe chuckled.

“No, it will not,” the Princess giggled. Kicking off his boots and socks, Ashe slid into bed beside Petra, head sinking into the pillow slightly. 

“So…” Ashe drawled out and licked his lips. “What did you want to talk about?”

Ashe felt Petra thread her hands through his just above the sheets. His cheeks warmed when he gently squeezed them back.

“I want to talk about us.”


	19. Preperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra turns to Ashe to teach her to bake cookies in Mercedes' stead.

Petra considered herself a decent cook. While her offerings she made on the days she was assigned to assist in preparing dinner for the evening, she knew she did not hold a candle to some of her fellow students. Bernadetta, Dedue, Ashe, Mercedes, and even Manuela and Gilbert created wonderfully tasting food that looked just as good.

While she knew how to cook to some extent, no thanks to her cooking background with her father carrying over to aspects of cooking in Fodlan, she never tried to bake. The thought occurred to her on the day she was welcomed by Professor Byleth, where she was presented with a batch of cookies that were surprisingly closer to savoury than sweet, baked by Mercedes herself.

After class, Petra asked Mercedes how she made the cookies- and was promised she’d show her one day. Unfortunately, Professor Byleth and a small team with Mercedes had left to help subdue a bandit attack in Fraldarius territory.

And so, with Dedue with Dimitri and the Professor, and Bernadetta huddled up in her room more than usual, Petra took it upon herself to ask Ashe to assist her. It was also an easy way for her to kill two birds with one stone: learn how to bake with someone possessing plenty of experience and spend more time with Ashe himself.

When her classmate had taken her to lunch the month before a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant, something between them changed- or perhaps it was just for her. Petra began to notice more things about Ashe she didn’t before and found herself distracted at times by his presence.

It was rather annoying at first, but when Dorothea had bluntly told her she was growing feelings for Ashe beyond being friends, Petra couldn’t help but feel rather down about it. Once she’d graduate, she’d inevitably have to move back to Enbarr under Duke Gerth’s orders. She would be separated from him perhaps for another five years before they would reunite again- if she could ever convince Duke Gerth to go.

So she promised herself she’d make the most of it, no matter what.

“Butter?”

“Check!” 

“An egg?”

Petra scavenged through the pantry and found a lone box with one egg sitting in it. “We are having the final egg in the kitchen!”

Ashe scratched the side of his head. “I do feel a little guilty using the last of it- so hopefully we’ll get more somehow. Oh well. Better than to let it go to waste.” Ashe cleared his throat and glanced back down at the bench before him. 

“Vanilla extract?”

“Yes!”

“All of our dry ingredients? We should have flour, brown sugar, caster sugar, Albenian milk chocolate and Morfis dark chocolate… hold on. We’re missing something. I think?” Ashe tapped the bench. “I’m not going crazy and forgetting anything am I?” Ashe looked at Petra, suddenly unsure of himself. She couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped her lips.

“No, you are not. I was forgetting the dark chocolate from Morfis. I shall find it for you.” She reached for a higher cupboard and opened it, revealing an unopened packet of the chocolate they needed. She pulled it down from the cupboard and placed on the bench with the other ingredients and utensils required.

“OK. Now that the furnace is going too, now we can get started!” Ashe clapped his hands excitedly. 

Petra grinned at his enthusiasm and looped her arms around his. She tilted her head up, stood on her toes and planted a surprise peck on Ashe’s cheek. Seeing his reaction always sent her heart aflutter, the red shade of his face making her chest warm up rapidly.

“I have gratitude for your willingness to help me, Ashe.”

And she suspected he thought the same, as he returned the favour and kissed her forehead, her cheeks sharing her rosy colour with his.

“Your welcome, Petra. Anything for you.”

Petra grinned. “Your face is looking wonderful, also. Red is suiting you well, Ashe.”

Ashe chuckled and shook his head. “Well, it’s not as beautiful as you look right now, Petra.”

Petra giggled at his welcomed compliment. The future could wait. For now, Petra would focus on the here and now.


	20. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra and Ashe confess a secret to each other.

Ashe didn’t have many secrets. He was pretty open with most who asked about his past with his parents, living on the streets and moving house to house before being adopted by Lonato; and Christophe was a sore spot that most people knew of anyway. He’d been told he was extremely kind and compassionate to a fault, but also a lousy liar as a consequence of his honesty.

And Ashe thought that was a fair assessment of his character. After all, he hardly had secrets to keep. No life-changing revelations for those around him, certainly none extreme that would force them to cut him out of their lives.

But Ashe Ubert did have one tiny secret he never refused to speak on. One that, if ever discovered, would ruin his life forever and ever.

He likes Petra Macneary. 

...So maybe the freakout Annette had in confidence with Ashe regarding her feelings for Felix had rubbed off on him. By like, he knew himself well enough to know that he liked her beyond a fleeting crush. Especially with his heart beating on his ribs whenever she happened to be alone with him, the glances he’d spare her during classes when he hoped no one was looking, and how much he adored her smile was indicative of anything. 

So when Ingrid had invited him for a small get together at Felix’s home in place of Felix (because he was too bothered with other things for such a frivolous festivity), Ashe was more than surprised when half of the people that made up numbers of the party weren’t even from Dimitri’s friend group.

Claude von Reigan’s primary friend group, consisting of Hilda, Lorenz, Marianne, Ignatz, Leonie, Raphael and Lysithea was already there. Even Edelgard von Hresvleg, Dimitri’s half-sister, had turned up, along with her primary friend group.

He mostly counted the usual suspects: Hubert, Bernadetta (definitely unusual, Ashe noted), Ferdinand, Dorothea, Linhardt, Caspar and Petra.

Seeing her in the flesh nearly made him freeze in surprise, much less seeing her in casual clothes. Ashe never took her for the type to wear dresses outside of school, but he knew better than to judge a book by its cover. 

The black vintage dress with the large embroidered rose graduated her from cute to beautiful the moment he laid eyes on her. It made him feel a little ridiculous with how under-dress he looked, both in comparison to her and some of the other people at the party, even if he didn’t need to look the part at Ingrid’s insistence.

Tearing his eyes away from her, Ashe immediately sank into a seat with a soda in hand, praying silently that he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in front of her tonight.

Not that you’ll get a chance to, Ashe reminded himself. 

It was a rather sad sentiment and one that turned massively untrue an hour later when Sylvain appeared with an empty glass bottle with the grape juice sticker still attached to it. The redhead grinned and held it in the air, and Felix was the first to react.

“Spin the bottle?” Felix asked with a deadpan stare. “Really?”

“Of course!” Sylvain wiggled his brows. “Hear ye, hear ye! I hereby declare that our first game of the night Spin the Bottle: Seven Minutes in Heaven edition, shall begin in five minutes! Join if you dare!” Sylvain called out like he was a medieval town crier.

Ashe knew this would be trouble and immediately wanted out. Shifting his chair out of the circle being formed by eager and reluctant students, Sylvain noticed this and waved Ashe down.

“Hey, Ashe!” Sylvain called out, standing next to him. “You not gonna join in?”

“Ah, no thank you, Sylvain, I’d really prefer not,” Ashe stared at his almost empty soda can.

“Aw, that’s no fun,” sighed Sylvain. “You should join in, it’ll be fun. And besides,” Sylvain leaned over and cupped his hand around his mouth. “Even Felix is joining in. Felix.”

Ashe glanced at the circle, and lo and behold, there Felix Fraldarius sat in the growing circle, with an expression that was entirely foreign for the usually stand-offish teen.

“Huh… that is strange.” Ashe drummed his fingers on the can and sat up. “Well, if Felix of all people is doing it, I don’t see the harm in trying.”

“Ah, that’s the spirit!” Sylvain cheered, slapping Ashe on the back of his shoulder. He recoiled slightly from it and rubbed the affected area as he walked to the circle, finding a spot for his seat between Claude and Lysithea.

“Hello, Claude, Lysithea,” Ashe greeted them both.

“Ashe,” Lysithea greeted back with a quick glance at his face.

“Hello to you too, Ashe,” Claude greeted with a raised voice, with a quick glance spared at Lysithea. “Don’t mind her, by the way, she’s always like that,” Claude mock whispered.

“I can hear you,” Lysithea glared at him. 

“Oh? Well, I’m glad you can Lysithea. Anyway, more importantly, I’m surprised that you’re playing, Ashe. These sorts of things don’t seem like your style.”

Ashe sheepishly chuckled. “You’re right, it’s no I suppose- but if Felix is playing, then there’s no harm in giving it a go. It shouldn’t be that bad.”

“Felix, huh?” Claude hummed inquisitively, sparing a glance in the grumpy teen’s direction. “I can only think of one reason why he’d even bother playing. Honestly, if he just asked, that’d solve most of his problems.”

Just asked? Ashe had no idea what that meant initially, but an idea came to him quickly. “Is there someone he likes?” 

Felix Fraldarius? Having romantic feelings for someone else? Impossible... Or was it?

Claude shrugged. “I wonder…” he replied cryptically before winking in his direction. “But what about you? Anyone, you got your eyes on?”

“Um… no, not really.” Ashe shifted in his seat and looked away from Claude’s gaze, directing his eyes around the room before they passed by Petra- and lingered a little too long for his own good.

“Oh? Really now?” gasped Claude scandalously, with an edge of sarcasm.

“H-huh?”

Before their conversation could go further, Dedue, Dimitri’s best friend, emerged from out of the house and calmed the rowdy students down, agreeing to play along with their amusing game and spin the bottle. The man placed a metallic rectangular box filled with playing cards on the table and the bottle in the middle of a large table which he spun with surprising speed.

Ashe prayed and prayed to the Goddess that he never get chosen if only to save himself from the inevitable embarrassment that being chosen would make him feel. The bottle began to slow down and pass by him, slowing down further and further. Ashe breathed a sigh of relief- before realising the bottle was still somehow slowly inching its way around the circle.

All the way back around to him.

A choir of small snickers and murmuring echoed around him, Ashe withering under all the eyes staring his way.

Dedue spun the bottle again, and Ashe hoped that he’d at least get someone he was familiar with, that they could laugh off how awkward the encounter would be over a game of cards.

A good idea in his head, had the bottle not stopped, pointing at Petra Macneary.

Ashe felt his stomach drop and wished the floor would swallow him whole. 

He felt an elbow bump into his left arm, Claude shooting a wide grin, knowing grin at him.

If there was any chance he would make a fool of himself in front of his crush, this was prime time for it to happen. Ignoring the silly grins, laughter and the ‘let’s go Ashe!’ from Sylvain, he cautiously made eye contact with Petra, who didn’t seem to react at all. She glanced at Dorothea, who whispered something to her, then stood up and marched towards the back door. Ashe sighed and followed after her and almost tripped along the way; it made him realise it made him look a little too eager.

“Ashe,” Dedue called out to him. He turned back and barely caught to the left metallic box filled with playing cards from his tall friend. Dedue nodded at him and sat down in his own seat outside the circle.

All Ashe could manage was the flash of a smile before he jogged back inside and caught up with Petra, glancing into a large closet in a hallway near the back door.

“The closet is having much space,” Petra said offhandedly. “It can be fitting us both comfortably.”

Ashe joined her and peeked in, confirming the closet to be in fact obscenely large and empty.

“Well, that’s a relief then,” Ashe said as calmly as he could, fiddling with the metallic box. “But… you know we don’t have to go in there, you know. We can just hang out here if it’s more comfortable for you.”

Petra looked at him and smiled. “I am thankful for your concern, Ashe. But if I am having honesty…” she trailed off, hesitantly staring into the empty closet. “I do not mind if it is with you.”

That caught Ashe off-guard.

“Oh,” Ashe blinked, unsure of what to say. “W-well, I’m glad you feel that way, Petra. If you’re ready to go in, then lead the way.”

The Brigidian girl nodded and strode in, and Ashe after her. Petra closed the doors and flicked on the light, one not too bright for their occupied space. They took seats on the ground on the sides of the closet. 

Ashe immediately opened the metallic cap that sealed away the cards. “Well, um, since we’re gonna need to do something while we wait, do you wanna play cards? Any ideas?” 

The girl stared at the deck as Ashe shuffled them. Her eyes eventually lit up with an idea. “Let us play Last Card. It is like Uno, but with regular cards.

“OK. Alright, that sounds like fun. How do we play?”

Petra took the deck and explained the rules as quickly as she could, handing them both seven 

cards. 

“Before we are staring, Ashe,” Petra cleared his throat. “We can make this more interesting, I am thinking. If you are winning this round, then I will be telling you one of my secrets. If I am to win, then you must be telling me yours. What are you thinking? Do you agree?”

If the Goddess had ever blessed him with an opportunity to express his feelings for Petra, then none before had ever been as perfect as this.

“Y-yeah. Why not? It’d be kind of boring if we did it otherwise, right?”

It took Ashe some time to remember the rules, but he got the hang of it quickly, the two going back and forth between who would win, both blessed with the lucky draw of 5’s when their opponent got dangerously close to winning.

Eventually, Ashe reached his last card for the fourth time, flicking it as Petra did. “Last card!” Ashe blurted out, his heart racing.

Petra furrowed her brow and placed down a 4 of spades, on top of the 4 clubs. “Last card.”

Ashe stared down at his hand and felt a rush of adrenaline as he placed the card down.

“...I win?”

Petra giggled. “Yes, you are the winner, Ashe. You want to know what my secret is now, yes?”

“O-oh, right. Yeah, I’m all ears.”

“OK. I will be telling you my secret, but you must be coming here,” Petra motioned to her half of the room. Confused, but curious, Ashe shuffled forward. Petra breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth as if to calm herself. 

“Now close your eyes, and I will be showing you my secret.”

“OK...”

Ashe let his eyelids close for a moment before a hand caressed his cheek- and non a moment later, a soft pair of lips pressed up against his. Ashe’s eyes shot wide open. His mind went haywire, unable to process what just happened until she moved away from him.

This kiss happened for but a moment, but it was a moment that burned into his memory permanently. 

“Oh.”

Petra raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Oh, um,” Ashe cleared his throat. “That was- wow,” Ashe sputtered, unable to put together a proper sentence.

“That was being my first kiss. Is the wow being good or bad?” Petra blushed and asked nervously to his surprise as if the kiss wasn’t enough.

“Good!” Ashe exclaimed. “S-sorry. It’s a good wow, I swear. That was my first kiss too.”

“It was your first?”

“Yeah. And it… was everything I thought it be,” Ashe sheepishly grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

Petra tilted her head. “Everything?”

“Everything,” Ashe repeated. “...OK, but maybe not in the closet,” he chuckled, getting a giggle out of Petra, which set his heart beating at a higher pace. “Actually,” Ashe gulped. He realised it was now or never if he wanted to say what had been weighing down on his chest for so long.

“Can I tell you a secret of mine too?” he asked with confidence swelled up in his chest.

The Brigidian girl studied him carefully and glanced into his eyes; he could hardly look away. Ashe leaned forward towards Petra, her response a tiny whisper.

“Yes.”

* * *

As the two finally left the closet as Dedue called them out after the allotted time, Ashe refused to meet the expecting gazes of those within the circle. He walked head down to his seat and sat, his head hardly moving.

“So did you kiss?!” erupted Caspar from the opposite side of the circle.

Ashe looked at his short friend, then at Petra.

“Well, to be honest, yes-” Ashe mumbled before Petra spoke up and interrupted him.

“We did,” Petra said bluntly for all to hear.

“Finally!” Sylvain leapt up out of his seat with a loud cheer, echoed by Claude next to him and various others. The redhead walked up to Dorothea, who begrudgingly handed over a ten-dollar note to him.

Ashe and Petra looked at them both, mortified.

“You placed bets on them?” Dimitri looked at Sylvain and Dorothea, almost sharing Ashe and Petra’s expression. “Have some shame!”

“What can I say? Those two have never been subtle when it comes to their feelings for each other,” Sylvain cackled.

Ashe buried his face in his hands, unable to lookup amidst the teasing because he knew that his cheeks to the tips of his ears turned into a great shade of red. He peeked back up and glanced at Petra, who smiled upon him, her cheeks rosy red.

In the end, Ashe was grateful. He at least wasn’t alone in his embarrassment, and more importantly, his affections were returned with just as much passion.

He could handle a little bit of teasing in exchange for that.


	21. Chores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra preferred to do chores with other people she liked. Ashe is one of those people.

If there was one thing she had to admit she missed about the monastery, it was the assigned chores. It reminded her of a time when things were still orderly when she had something as close to everyday life as she could get, away from the clutches of the Empire. 

One other thing she missed was the company she’d have while doing them. A casual conversation between her and her partners made the workload more manageable and was often the catalyst for starting many of her friendships she held.

Ashe Ubert was certainly no exception. Their first interaction wherein she learned his name was during a joint training session with the Black Eagles and Blue Lions class. Their first proper conversation was during one of her chores, wherein Ashe volunteered to help her after Dorothea, her assigned partner, had fallen ill earlier that day.

Petra, she had to admit- she was a little disappointed. She would much rather be partnered with someone she was familiar with, a friend like Dorothea, than some boy she’d only met in passing.

And yet, the last thing she ever expected was to hear his genuine curiosity about her homeland, that someone would be willing to listen to gush as much as she wanted to because spirits know she longed to see it again.

When Petra eventually moved to the Blue Lions, doing chores with Ashe became one of the things she looked forward to the most during the week, as if she needed an excuse to talk to him more often.

“That gives me surprise,” Petra said curiously, putting a handful of weeds into her bucket. 

“You really think so?” Ashe chuckled. “I love my siblings a whole lot, but even sometimes we come into conflict and start arguments over the littlest things.”

Petra pulled up her bucket and trudge over to a corner of the courtyard that had remained untouched in their efforts to finish. “Yes, it is. I am sometimes having thoughts about siblings and what it would be like to have them.”

“Oh, that’s right, you’re an only child, aren’t you?”

“Yes. When I was younger, I had longed for a brother or sister, but it never happened,” Petra frowned at the weeds in her hands and dumped it in the bucket. “But I suppose if I am to be fighting them so much, then maybe I am not missing out on much.”

“I disagree, but I understand if you think that way, just based on what I told you,” Ashe chuckled. He quickly jogged over to Petra to help finish. “My siblings still mean the world to me, even if we fight sometimes.”

“That is true. You certainly sacrifice much for them. It is very admirable to care deeply for family.”

Petra didn’t miss the light blush on his face that made her smile softly- it was rather adorable in her mind.

“Thank you, Petra,” Ashe bashfully smiled. “It means a lot hearing that from you.”

Her brows furrowed instantly. “From me? Why is that?”

“Oh, I should’ve probably told you this, but I’ve told them- my siblings- about you in my letters before. When I told them for the first time that you were a Princess, my brother and sister they, um…” Ashe trailed off. Petra looked at him, wondering what on earth he wanted to say.

“They told me they wanted to meet you, actually,” Ashe rubbed the back of his neck. “I told them that due to-, you know, certain things- we might not be able to after we graduate. But they will be here on the day I graduate, so I’d love for them to meet you if that’s OK with you.”

“I would love to, Ashe. If they are like you, then we will get along,” excitedly replied Petra, pressing down on the weeds in her bucket to make space for more.

Ashe let out a laugh, music to Petra’s ears. “I’m not so sure about my brother. He is kind of rowdy sometimes.”

“He cannot be rowdier than Caspar, I am thinking,” Petra shook her head.

Ashe gritted his teeth and pulled out a weed that was rather persistent and dumped it in the bucket with a sigh. “Well, I suppose that’s true, but I feel like he may rub off on my brother.”

“There is nothing wrong with being energetic. It just means you will be keeping on your toes. I do not like to sit around for a long time, so I am appreciating Caspar’s energy.

“I suppose that’s true,” Ashe nodded, standing up on his feet. He leaned down and pulled out the remaining weeds around Petra and dumped them in his bucket. “But let’s get this to the stables, and maybe we can figure something out.”

“Yes, that is- Ah! I have an idea,” Petra said excitedly, walking alongside Ashe. “Perhaps I can be writing to your siblings? I am thinking I want to write to them for our writing assignment from the Professor. Does that sound suitable?”

Ashe nodded excitedly as they excitedly began bouncing off ideas on one another- and before she knew it, her chores were done for the day, leaving the rest for time with him.


	22. Reminiscing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra and Ashe look back on memories five years prior under the stars.

Petra found Ashe lying on the small grassy area outside of their former classrooms whilst out wondering the monastery in the early evening. The young man, sprawled out on the grass, had his hands propped behind his head, making it as comfortable as possible as he gazed up at the stars that had blessed the unusually early night sky. With her lantern in hand, Petra quietly strode towards her friend and comrade-in-arms, her lantern’s light gaining his attention.

“Is that Petra?” Ashe called out to her, sat up and crossed his legs. “This is a nice surprise. What are you doing out so late?”

“It is not late, Ashe. The night patrol is not shooing you away yet,” Petra grinned at Ashe.

The aspiring knight shook his head with an amused laugh. “Of course, you’d know about that, wouldn’t you?”

Petra shrugged in response. “I am unsure what you are meaning,” Petra sarcastically quipped. Her expression softened from a grin to a small smile. “But Ashe, I am wondering, may I sit with you? If you do not, I have understanding. I do not want to be a bother.

“Of course you can,” Ashe nodded enthusiastically nodded, shifting his lantern to his left, allowing a spot for Petra to sit close by him. “And don’t worry, Petra, you’re never a bother.”

Petra moved the lantern away from her face in case it exposed any blush that might have appeared on her face. There was something about how compassionate and genuine Ashe was that she found much more attractive now than she did five years ago. Perhaps it was his boyish, yet handsome face in a combination that had contributed to how her feelings had changed.

If she were honest, it made her feel a little ridiculous; a grown woman, the Princess of Brigid no less, letting her heart feel so giddy crushing on one of her friends and comrades-in-arms as if she were a girl again. Her Grandfather, and certainly her close friends would more than encourage her to entertain and act on those feelings, but amidst the war, Petra wasn’t sure if she could.

But she knew she wanted to.

“Thank you, Ashe,” she whispered, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she sat down.

Ashe returned to his previous position, lying on the grass beside her. “So… is something the matter? It’s not like you to be out and about, even at this time of night.”

Petra quirked up an eyebrow and looked at him dead in the eyes. “I did not know you were noticing me so much, Ashe,” she spoke, bemused.

“P-Petra, it’s not like that,” Ashe retorted, his face flushed. “That’s what you’ve told me before when-”

“Ashe I am having a joke!” Petra cheekily grinned. When Ashe groaned and turned on his side to hide his face, she couldn’t help but giggle at his dilemma, to his dismay. He eventually turned back to the ground and stared at the glittering stars.

Petra recalled a few nights earlier when Petra first found Ashe on the verge of slumbering in the middle of the courtyard. Instead of waking him up, a rather devious thought came to mind. Hidden behind the benches nearby, Petra had cupped her hands around her mouth and made sounds resembling the ghost sounds Mercedes made when telling them stories years ago in the monastery library. 

At an almost inhuman speed that she envied, Ashe had sat up and leapt to his feet, aiming his lantern outward, panic overtaking his face. Unfortunately, Petra’s laughter gave her away, Ashe more than displeased when he shone her light on her grinning face.

Her lips twitched into a tiny smile. “Ashe?”

“Hm? Yes, Petra?”

She turned to him and wiggled her fingers in his direction. “Oooooo,” Petra drawled out, imitating the ghost sound she’d made nights earlier. 

“Petra,” Ashe groaned, rolling his eyes. “Not again.”

“It is OK Ashe, I have understanding,” Petra chuckled and laid down on the ground, not caring for the small blades of grass that would inevitably get stuck in her hair.  _ Your reactions are adorable, _ she also wanted to say but realised she had not the confidence to blurt it out. 

She stared at the stars instead. The silence calming, yet deafening and unbearable all at once.

“Petra?”

She thanked the spirits that he’d spoken first. “Yes?”

“Do you miss those days at all? You know, back when we were just classmates?” Ashe whispered, his expression dipped into a frown. 

Petra hummed, unsure of what to say for a moment. She recalled every memory she could from five years prior. The ghost stories Mercedes would tell those who dared to listen late at night by lantern light. The various tournaments with silly or no prizes, where everyone fought simply to claim to be the best for that month. Chores wherein even the most dedicated students frolicked about if only to get a rise out of Seteth.

Many crossed her mind that she wanted to forget. Remire, Jeralt, Edelgard, the invasion… so many tragic events had consumed Garreg Mach and Fodlan within that year. 

One she could never forget was Magdred Way. Petra had been invited to attend the mission with Professor Byleth and her Blue Lions class to her surprise. She came out of the mission a better fighter, but Ashe had become worse for wear.

Petra approached Ashe to comfort him, with as much empathy as she could muster. It was the first time they’d ever spoke to one another.

“I am missing some things, I am thinking,” Petra closed her eyes and relaxed as best she could. “I miss when we did not have to think about this war. When our most difficult problem was solving mathematical questions and finishing assignments.”

A low hum from Ashe signalled he agreed with her.

“I am missing when my dream of freeing Brigid from the Empire was not as distant as the stars,” Petra lamented and reached out to the sky. “And for a long time I was missing something else- but now that I am here, I do not have to fear that.”

“Something else?” Ashe asked inquisitively.

Petra directed her gaze to the man beside her.

“Someone.”

Ashe blinked and looked into her eyes.

“Oh? Who is it?” His gaze was unflinching, hopeful, she could tell.

Petra hummed and stared up at the stars again. Silently, she slid her hand under his, grasping it lightly. She knew Ashe must’ve been in shock when she heard the tiniest of gasps from him, but had quickly recovered when his handheld hers back.

“I have been missing you for a long time, I am knowing. Is that strange, Ashe?”

The faintest of chuckles directed Petra’s eyes back to him.

“No, it’s not. I’ve missed you too, for a long time now,” Ashe smiled, with a blush that surfaced on his cheeks. 

She shuffled closer to his side and leaned into his shoulder. “I am glad to be hearing that.”

She wondered if hers burned just as brightly.


	23. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra wants reassurance, so she makes a promise with Ashe.

When they had been informed of the impending invasion, Petra and Ashe had thrown themselves to training harder than they had before. They spent as much of their time as much time as they could cutting down dummies, shooting arrows between where the dummy’s hypothetical eyes would be, and competing in sparring sessions against as many people with a variety of weapons to be in tip-top shape. They needed to be ready for when they would face the full brunt of the forces that backed the new Emperor of Adrestia.

Of course, Professor Byleth, with the keen eyes she had even during her first rocky lesson with the Blue Lions, had taken a quick notice to their efforts, and forcibly forbade them from attending the next group sparring session for the Blue Lions. Instead, she relegated them to gardening duty, as a way to still do work but ease the strain they were putting on their bodies. 

She insisted they take some sort of break, and though they didn’t like it, they could hardly disagree with their Professor when so much was at stake.

Slowly but surely, the two pulled up weeds in the garden, placing them in a bag for disposing of, and picked the ripe fruits and vegetables ready for consumption for the tense dinners that would come before the arrival of the Empire. Ashe hummed a random tune to fend off the deafening silence that surrounded them. He wished Annette was here to fill the room with some life, but alas, that was the best either would get- unless Petra had a fantastic singing voice he was unaware of.

Ashe plucked the last of the tomatoes from its respective plant and carefully placed it in a crate nearby. He glanced up at Petra to see her crouched in another part of the central flowerbed, holding the stem of a sunflower.

“Petra? Is there something wrong?” 

Nothing but a hum echoed in response. Concerned, Ashe turned his undivided attention to her as he crossed the greenhouse and trudged towards her.

“What’s wrong, Petra?” Ashe asked again, his voice softer than before. His eyes followed her hands as they held the bright flower.

“Ashe?”

“Yes, Petra?”

“Are you…” she hesitated for a moment. “Are you knowing what these flowers are meaning in my homeland?”

Ashe shook his head. He was aware that her favourite flower, the sunflower, was as commonplace in Brigid as it was in the warmer areas of Fodlan, but he was hardly aware of any deeper meaning it held. “No, I don’t. What does it mean?”

“Flowers have many meanings in Brigid. The sunflower is, of course, meaning the sun. But it is also meaning hope, the future, a new life and a new dawn,” Petra explained. “My father was telling me that before he was fighting in the war with the Empire.”

“Wow,” Ashe blinked, legitimately surprised. The only meaning of any flower he knew of was his own favourite. “I had no idea. But that sounds absolutely wonderful, Petra. Brigid sounds like a beautiful place.”

“Yes, it is,” Petra smiled sadly. Her eyes glanced at the flowers growing next to the sunflowers, violets of varying sizes sprouted up. “Ashe. Do you know what these violets have meaning for?”

“Oh, these? I do, actually. My brother- Christophe, told me the night he was taken away. It means the moon funnily enough,” Ashe smiled, slightly amused. “It also means strength to overcome what’s in front of you, the present and sometimes, the fading light of life.”

“Yes, that is what I have been hearing from the monks that are overseeing the garden,” Petra nodded.

Ashe almost unconsciously reached out to one violet that stood as tall as the sunflower directly next to it.

“It’s odd, don’t you think? Sunflowers usually last better in hot weather, and violets can withstand harsh winters. And yet, here they are, co-existing in the same environment,” he bemused, twisting the stem a little. 

“Yes, it is strange. Though I know the monks are using magic, maybe that is being a part of it. That the two opposing flowers can be so close to another with a push.”

Ashe didn’t know where the conversation was going, but a quiet moment with Petra was one he always welcomed.

“Ashe. May I try something?” she pointed to the violet.

“Oh? Sure, Petra,” Ashe nodded and let go of the stem. Ashe watched Petra gently pull out the two flowers from the soil and carefully start to wrap the stem around each other careful until it reached near the top. 

“In Brigid, we are doing this when we are making a promise,” Petra held it up between them. “When two flowers, especially the opposing flowers, are becoming one and co-joined to each other, it is a sign of a powerful promise, one that cannot be broken no matter what.”

“No matter what?” Ashe blinked, bewildered. He had no idea what she was talking about until she gently pulled out his hand by his wrist and placed it in his hands.

“Promise me you will be returning in five years..”

Ashe blinked, bewildered. “But we already did that, remember? Back in...”

Petra shook her head. “The spirits… I feel the spirits are restless. I… I am not being greedy very often. But today I would like to do that, Ashe. I am wanting to promise each other that we will see each other again.”

She scooped up his hands in hers and held them warmly. “Five years. When the Millennium Festival is here, I promise to be here- for your sake.”

Ashe felt entirely overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the past five minutes. Nothing he’d ever read in his favourite stories could have prepared him for something like this to actually happen to him with a real-life princess.

“OK. I promise too, Petra. To be here for your sake, in five years for the Millennium Festival.”

Petra had never felt or looked so relieved in a long time.


	24. Letters

_Petra,_

_I’m sorry if this letter seems ineligible, or just rushed in general, but when Anna (that merchant I got a good deal from for you, remember?) told me she was able to get this letter to you, I had to jump at the chance to write something._

_How are you? Are you and your Grandfather OK? I know these are silly, small talk questions, but I’m on limited time, and I can’t help but feel concerned, especially knowing what you told me about the aftermath of the Brigid-Dagda War._

_I know that despite whatever struggle you’re going through, that you’ll push through and persevere because that’s just who you are- you’re strong like that. But I still worry. I hope you understand._

_I gave Anna some extra gold, so that should you respond, it will return to me as soon as possible._

_Yours,_

_Ashe._

* * *

Ashe never thought that being trapped in enemy territory would have positive consequences for him. Being a page and occasional soldier if the opportunity required it, Ashe had been hardly given a chance to plan some sort of grand, daring escape, not when his siblings’ lives would be at stake if he ran. For what it was worth, they were secure. House Rowe, who had taken control of Gaspard territory in Lonato and his stead at the beginning of the war, was under Dukedom rule, which had the Empire’s backing. 

For what it was worth, Ashe had little reason to leave until the day of the Millenium Festival. Four and a half years he would wait to hear anything from his old allies again, but it would all be worth it, he was sure.

That was until he encountered Anna, who, due to her own status, was one of the few able to roam free across Fodlan, through Empire, Dukedom, Kingdom and Alliance territories with ease.

And more importantly: Brigid.

“W-wait. You can do that for me?” Ashe balked, utterly confused his suspicions were correct.

“But of course,” Anna nodded, her eyes staring down at a bag, counting what money she had left until her next big deal: it wasn’t much, but enough to get her to Nuvelle and Enbarr. “I have connections all over Fodlan, you know. And you know what they say: money talks. Give me enough of it, and I can send you a letter from here to anywhere in the Empire or Dukedom; just not the Kingdom or Alliance. Edelgard and Cornelia wouldn’t like that very much.”

Ashe frowned at the thought, realising he’d have to cut into the money saved up while he was at Garreg Mach, and for the short time, he’d been working as a page.

“Hey, hey, hold on a minute kid,” Anna sighed guiltily. “Here, how about this: go write your letter and have it to me by tonight before I leave. If you do, I’ll promise I’ll send it out to your girlfriend in Brigid, free of charge; and remember, if I make a promise to a customer, I always deliver,” Anna folded her arms with a solemn expression.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Ashe groaned, almost annoyed. “But if you’re really gonna do that… well, I’ll be right back.”

Ashe was more than elated that he could at least communicate with someone amidst all the chaos of the war. He didn’t know how long the war would last, but he knew his options besides Petra were slim.

He couldn’t communicate with any of his classmates or the students who migrated from the Golden Deer class. Ashe knew Caspar would abandon his house and wonder alone. He supposed he could send a letter to Linhardt, assuming Caspar would seek refuge there at all. Getting letters to Bernadetta would be a difficult task, if only because of her father. And last he heard, the von Aegir family had been stripped of their lands and titles, and the Mittlefrank Opera disbanded, so Ferdinand and Dorothea too were out of the question.

He knew at least that Petra would dare not leave Brigid unless it was for their reunion. Scribbling the last of a terribly thought out letter, Ashe sealed it with House Rowe’s emblem and handed it to Anna later that evening. The next morning, at the break of dawn, Anna had already set out towards the horizon when Ashe woke up. All he could do was hope he would receive a letter in return.

The chances were slim, Ashe knew, but he still had faith in Petra. 

All he could do now was wait.

* * *

_Ashe,_

_Please don’t apologise for your writing, it is perfectly legible and very distinctly… you? I promise that’s a good thing. Though, I will say, when Anna herself had crossed shores towards ours to trade and sell her wares, I was pleasantly surprised to receive your letter from amongst her inventory._

_And if I’m honest, I am happy. I have not communicated with my classmates even now, more than six months after we were separated. Dorothea, Ferdinand, and Bernadetta worry me the most, but now I only receive whispers of old, outdated info outside of Edelgard’s correspondence. I fear for the others in the Black Eagles house. But it is as you have said: I will persevere and push on, even when times are at its most challenging._

_Speaking of that, I appreciate your concern for my Grandfather and me, Ashe. It warmed my heart to read such a thing- it was as if I heard your voice in my head as well! How strange!_

_But more importantly: yes, I am OK. Brigid is in a precarious position because of the war, so my Grandfather is helping me understand the politics behind the conflict, and the importance of every inevitable decision that would need to be made if I am to be a ruler of Brigid one day._

_Ashe, I must thank you as well, for remembering that time I spoke of my past with the Empire to you. Knowing that someone cared and still cares about such things makes me feel grateful to have you as someone, I can ~~love~~ rely on, even from so far away. _

_I too, have given Anna some gold for the express return of my letter. I eagerly await your response!_

_Yours,_

_Petra._


	25. Dancing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra and Ashe have a moment alone before their first Christmas family dinner together.

For the past four years, since Petra first moved to Fodlan in her second year of middle school, she made it a point to go back to Brigid and spend time with her family. Doing so knowing she would inevitably return to Fodlan, and spend most of the year away from her home, except for most of the summer breaks.

In her second year of high school, Petra began to make plans to return once again as her summer break for that year came to an end.

Unfortunately, that meant talking to her mother, who was significantly better at noticing Petra’s dishonesty than her father. This complicated matters rather quickly. Petra sincerely appreciated honesty the most in a person. If Petra wasn’t going to be honest about a rather significant change in her life to her own mother, then her mother would inevitably call it out on her own anyway.

_ “I have a boyfriend,”  _ she bluntly told her mother in Brigidian while face-timing the older woman.

Petra felt dread wash over her, seeing her mother’s eyes widen intensely.  _ “Mother, I…” _

_ “Petra, are you serious?!”  _

Petra blinked, confused at her animated reaction.  _ “Yes? Why would I…?” _

_ A large, ear-to-ear grin appeared on his face. “Oh, this is wonderful news! Dear, you must hear the good news!” _

Petra stood on her feet so quickly she nearly dropped her phone.  _ “Mother, no, wait! Don’t tell father yet!” _

Her words fell on deaf ears as her mother excitedly babbled to his father about it, whose gruff reaction seemed to imply he disapproved.

_ “I see. I am quite interested in meeting this young man by the year’s end, in any case,” her father huffed. She knew her father didn’t mean anything by it, but his deep voice certainly did him no favours. _

_ “By the year’s end? Father, what are you talking about?” _

_ “What am I talking about?”  _ his father asked offscreen, now genuinely confused.  _ “Did your mother not tell you before?” _ Before he continued, his mother cleared her throat and placed the camera in front of her face.

_ “What he’s trying to say, is that we’re all quite eager to meet the boy who has stolen your heart when we visit you in Fodlan for Christmas, my treasure.” _

Petra never felt her stomach drop as fast as it did at that moment.

\----------

“OK… I think that’s the last of it,” Ashe stepped back, carefully, eyeing the final piece of decorations hung around his apartment. “Thanks for helping me out, by the way. I don’t think I would’ve finished in time without your help.”

Petra sighed, placing her hands on her hips. Ashe had a terribly endearing habit of putting himself before others, no matter what the circumstance. “I may have helped you, but you are the one convincing your family to be hosting my family for Christmas lunch in your home.”

They stared at each other for a while before music from the speakers nearby began playing an unfamiliar, yet pleasant smooth jazzy tune, breaking the atmosphere of their staredown. Petra broke eye contact first and enveloped him in a hug instead.

“You have my gratitude, Ashe,” she mumbled into his shoulder. His arms wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Petra felt his hand grasp hers lightly, as the two of them began to sway silently to the music rang throughout the apartment, turning in a waltz.

She had no idea what she was doing, and she suspected this to be the case with Ashe, the fact he hadn’t stepped on her toes making her hesitate. It certainly wasn’t dancing like it was back at home, but Petra absolutely adored quiet moments like these with Ashe, who was ever the romantic.

Petra began to understand and adequately follow his flow when Ashe led into a spin turn and spoke again. “Well, it was easy to convince my family. They pretty much all adore you, Petra… as they should.”

Petra snickered and planted a kiss on Ashe’s cheek. “Then my family should adore you as well. If my father is not, then I will give him a very stern talking to.” She was completely serious. If her father disapproved of Ashe for whatever reason, then the discussion that would come after would not be pleasant.

“Well, I certainly hope I make a good first impression at least. I’d rather you not have that conversation, for your sake,” Ashe chuckled.

Petra hummed, not bothering to scold him again, for being so considerate too much, such a thing being only possible with Ashe. But she supposed that’s why she loved him so much.

The song’s tempo sped up slightly, as did their movements, dancing a little faster around the living room., forgetting everything and everyone in the world but them.

_ Love… _

The thought of confessing those three little words to him almost scared her. In her mind, for moments like these, they carried an immense amount of weight. Perhaps it was the silly stories and fantasies of love her mother filled her younger head with that was messing with her.

But she felt prepared to say it to him. It was just a matter of when…

“Do you think Lonato and Christophe will be back with your family from their hotel soon?”

Petra shrugged. “Maybe. I am not sure- but I just want to enjoy this moment for now,” she murmured. She heard him let out an affirmative hum. An eternity passed before the smooth jazzy music began to fade away. 

It was now or never, she supposed.

“Ashe. I have… something I must be telling you.”

“Oh? What is it?”

Petra licked her lip and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. She felt her face turn a brilliant shade of red from anticipation. “I love you.”

Ashe’s eyes widened, left utterly speechless.

“I have wanted to tell you that for some time now. I am hoping you feel the same.”

Petra felt her head beat faster in her chest with each second he didn’t respond. Silently, his right hand cupped her cheek, the fierce blush on his face and his wonderful smile taking weight off her shoulders instantly.

“I love you too, Petra.”

Though her reaction was quiet, her heart almost burst from the utter relief and joy that burst from within her elated, she finally spoke those words to him. She stood on her toes and leaned in towards Ashe.

She couldn’t fight off the smile as she gently kissed Ashe, nothing in the world mattering at that moment.

…

Not even with their respective families standing just outside the living room, with various reactions written across their faces.

“Ahem!”

Petra and Ashe had never reacted so quickly to anything else than they did in that split second realisation. Petra pulled away from Ashe embrace, eyes directed at their families awkwardly standing by, both of their expressions mixed with embarrassment and horror.

“Oooh la la! Kissy, kissy! Mwah!” Ashe’s brother mocked and cackled, his usually more reasonable sister joining in on the teasing with a phone directed at the kissing perpetrators caught in the act, repeating after her younger brother.

The Brigidian girl glanced over everyone that stood there until she saw her mother with the broadest, giddiest grin she’d ever seen, and her father, with a blank unimpressed stare at Ashe.

Petra just hoped she wouldn’t have to have any stern conversations with him today.


	26. Clothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they reunite, Ashe notices Petra shiver in Garreg Mach's cool morning air.

Winter of all four seasons, was the season Ashe found physically the most comforting. Having lived most of his life in Gaspard, Garreg Mach and Rowe territory, Ashe was accustomed to adjusting to the chilly winter air when the Blue Lions reunited after five years. He knew he couldn’t say the same for Petra, who’d arrived in the nick of time to assist him with dealing with a small ambush. With Pallardo and the thieves under him either dead or having fled from the monastery, Ashe finally had a quiet moment to properly greet Petra as they dismounted their steeds to meet their fellow former classmates.

One of the first things he noticed, aside from the fact that she was beautiful, which he tucked away in the recesses of his mind, was that her aversion to the colder months of the year hadn’t changed, even five years later.

“Ashe! You are here!” Petra cheered. The young woman jogged towards him and enveloped him in a surprise hug.

“Oh! Yes, I am here!” Ashe squeaked in surprise. He cautiously raised his arms and returned the hug. “I’m glad to see you too, Petra. It’s been too long.”

“Yes,” Petra said, her voice muffled in his jacket. The young woman cleared her throat and suddenly broke off the hug. “I agree. It is being far too long. You have been well, yes?”

Ashe thought to reply but stopped himself short when she saw Petra shiver a little despite wearing a coat herself. He could tell she was trying to hide it. Having two siblings who insisted on doing the same even while living on the streets made certain little ticks obvious to him.

“I suppose I have- but Petra,” Ashe frowned deeply. “You’re freezing.”

The Princess shook her head. “I am cold, but I am not feeling it like I was used to back in our academy days, Ashe.”

The aspiring knight ignored her and took off his cloak and held it out to her.

“Here. You can wear this for now until we find something else warmer for you. I’m sure there’ll be other things somewhere we can find in the monastery and use to warm you up.

“Ashe, I am OK-”

“Your lip’s quivering, Petra, even with that coat one,” Ashe sighed, his expression softer than before. “Please take it. Just for my peace of mind. I’d hate for you to get sick so soon after we’ve all reunited again.”

Ashe watched Petra glance down at the cloak silently. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” Ashe reassured Petra with the warmest smile he could muster. Her resolve gave out immediately when her eyes looked upon his and took the coat. She took her lighter coat off, slipped Ashe’s jacket on quickly, and did the buttons up. It was too large for her, but seeing her all snug in his jacket made him feel warm in his chest.

“Feel any better?” he folded her jacket over his arm.

“I am having more warmth, yes. But are you sure you will not be cold, Ashe?” Petra frowned, still concerned for him. It was flattering, if he were honest, especially coming from royalty like Petra, a fact Ashe had wholly forgotten until she began buttoning up his jacket.

“I’ll be fine, Petra, I promise. You should just make sure you keep warm as best can.”

“I have understanding,” Petra nodded, giving in to his kind reassurances. The two stared at each other for a little longer than their steeds liked, Petra’s wyvern huffing at Ashe, and Ashe’s wyvern growling at Petra’s wyvern in turn.

Ashe cleared his throat and looked away. “W-well, we should probably get going and meet up with the others.”

“Yes. A good idea, I am thinking,” Petra responded awkwardly, pulling their steeds from one another until they reached the already assembled Blue Lions, barring the Professor and Dimitri, who greeted them all warmly.

They made it a point to ignore the odd stares their former classmates gave them upon seeing Petra bundled up in Ashe’s jacket.

They both swore it didn’t mean anything- but the warmth in their chests upon seeing each other again knew that it was a lie.


	27. In Nature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra shows Ashe a special place behind Brigid's dense forestry.

Ashe never thought he’d step foot on Brigid soil so soon. The trip was a long and arduous one, but ultimately necessary. Brigid had remained neutral in the war despite it being the Empire’s vassal state, Petra had explained to him when they stood together near the front of the ship and overlooked the calming waters leading to the island nation. The archipelago resisted any strongly worded offers to side with the Empire and successfully did so with Petra’s presence in Brigid, and her ties to Edelgard herself.

He’d rather the experience be under better circumstances. Still, when the island nation’s only leverage had sided against the Empire on her own accord, he and Petra herself knew her homeland would not last.

For now, Ashe was just relieved the battle was over. After Petra had gone to meet with her Grandfather and ask for Brigid’s support in the war, the young woman returned with a beaming smile. The King had agreed to assist them as best as he could provide, and provide their small army with a place to rest for as long as they’d need.

They would only need one night to recuperate, which left plenty of time for the remainder of the day for Petra to drag Ashe away, leaving them to their own devices.

Brigid’s forestry had become increasingly dense the further he journeyed with Petra into its depths. The main island housed plenty of new and unique wildlife Ashe hadn’t seen anywhere in Fodlan before and animals that would look unnatural anywhere but a place like Brigid.

Ashe had leapt over a large rock and trailed after an enthused Petra, following her lead through seemingly random shrubbery, traversing past animals that would have scared the daylights out of him if he wasn’t so focused on Petra. The Princess stopped for a moment and stared up at the canopy of the high rising trees above them.

“Yes. This is the way,” Petra solemnly nodded. Ashe had to admit- it was strange seeing Petra so in her element, so to speak. The way she so brightly smiled and laughed so carefree was unlike anything he’d seen from her in Fodlan, besides occasional glimpses when they would discuss Brigid together now and five years prior.

She truly loved her homeland, and Ashe couldn’t help but let that admiration bloom into something more.

Petra turned back to Ashe with a smile. “You are adapting to Brigid’s environment quickly, Ashe. I am impressed.”

“Oh. Well, thank you Petra, I’m glad to hear that. I’ve been trying to do my best to keep up with you, even if the humidity is not something I’m used to yet,” Ashe chuckled nervously and wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm.

“I have understanding,” Petra nodded empathetically. “I am feeling something similar when it is winter at Garreg Mach. It becomes difficult to do normal things when you are sneezing often.” Petra turned her back to him with one final glance at the canopy, a deep breath in and out through her nose. “But we do not have to worry about your dilemma. When we are arriving, you can cool down.”

“Cool down?” Ashe asked curiously.

Petra turned her head back and grasped his hand, pulling him along past a wide tree. “You shall see!”

The sudden feeling of Petra’s hand holding his own surprised Ashe but was not unwelcomed in his mind. She quickly let go and continued on ahead. He knew the two had become comfortable enough with each other that little fleeting touches and the holding of their hands like that were typical for them.

Petra stepped over a tree root stuck up from the ground, and Ashe carefully did the same. The Princess brandished her sword and sliced at overgrown vines in their way, stepping through to a cliff with a path leading down on their right. She motioned for him to follow, and Ashe looked out in awe.

“Petra this is… this is incredible,” he gasped.

The sight was absolutely breathtaking. Ashe’s eyes drew to a tall waterfall, with water teeming down the rocks to the depths below, the sounds like music to his ears, instilling him with a strange sense of calmness. Ashe followed the water down the stream, which headed out towards the ocean. The water below sparkled as brightly as it did at sea, Brigid’s flora feeding off of it on the nearby banks.

“Yes, it is,” Petra hummed next to him. “This was where my mother and father would take me when I was a child. “We would be sitting together, by this tree. I am surprised it is still standing,” Petra smiled sadly as she wandered away, pressing her left palm against the tree’s trunk. “We would listen to the sounds of the waterfall and the animals around us. It is a memory I am treasuring dearly. If I am having children one day, I would like to show them this place.”

Ashe stood in silence, unsure of what to say. He knew neither of her parents was of this world- so this was a sore spot for her, he supposed. But he had to wonder…

“Let us be going,” Petra said suddenly, solemnly marching away and to the trail that led down towards the beach. “There are many things I am wishing for you to see, Ashe. We have not had the chance to be swimming yet.”

Ashe, without thinking, walked to Petra’s side and placed a hand softly on her shoulder. “Petra. Let’s stay.”

He moved his hand as the Princess turned back with blinks of confusion. “Stay? Why are we staying?”

“So we can sit under that tree back there, and you know… listen to the sounds of nature- of Brigid together, like you used to.”

Petra stared up at him with a shine in her eyes. “Are being sure? Are you not wanting to swim in the ocean?”

The aspiring knight nodded. “Of course I do, Petra. But as much as I want to swim in the ocean, I know you want to stay a little longer. So… let’s stay. Just us.”

Petra glanced at Ashe and her lips parted- he knew she wanted to protest, but she stopped herself and nodded, her tilted down towards the ground. She raised her right arm and cautiously thread her hand in his left. Ashe felt Petra’s hand squeeze his own when she glanced back up, her face flushed like his.

“You have my gratitude, Ashe.”

Ashe squeezed her hand in response.

“Your welcome, Petra. Now let’s get some rest. I’m awfully tired after all that running, as fun as it was.”

As she pulled him along, the promise he made to her, and the promise she made to him flashed in his mind, and the affirmative giggle that escaped Petra’s lips made him want to stay by her side even more.


	28. Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashe shows Petra a little known clearing reminiscent of Petra's stories of Brigid, with unforeseen consequences.

It had been a simple idea that came to him the evening during dinner, some hours after he’d last saw her. Though Petra’s birthday had recently passed by in the blink of an eye, he still had something left to give, or more accurately, to show to her, even if he had little time to plan it all out. After confirming that Petra was free, he couldn’t help but feel incredibly nervous; he didn’t want to screw this up.

So when he realised he’d almost gotten lost, he felt his stomach drop like a rock.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going, Ashe? I have faith you are knowing, but I cannot be too sure,” Petra asked curiously, keeping track of where they’d come from. Ashe knew where his destination was, in the forestry just off the dirt path near the end of the bridge leading to the monastery gates.

“Y-yeah. I know where we’re going. It’s something I found after I’d gotten lost here once when I went hunting with you two and Leonie. Since you’ve been here for a while Petra, I’m sure you know where I’m headed, right?”

“I do not know,” Petra shrugged. “I have hunted near here but this deep in the forest. Most prey is living near the dirt path.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure it’s down this way… somewhere?”

“Somewhere?” Petra raised an eyebrow before her eyes lit up

“Well,” Petra began excitedly. “I was right to have faith in you, Ashe- you are leading us the way to our destination, I am thinking,” she pointed forward, towards a small clearing visible between two trees.

Ashe’s eyes widened. “Oh! There it is!” Ashe breathed a sigh of relief as he jogged towards it. The trio entered the clearing and Ashe heard an audible gasp from Petra who stood beside him.

“Here we are, Petra,” Ashe grinned. The clearing itself was like a little corner of heaven within a sombre, dreary forest. In the middle of a clear sat a narrow, but a deceptively deep river that flowed into another part of the forest, the water sparkling in the sunlight as it bore down and provided sustenance to a large bed of flowers, primarily sunflowers that’d grown tall, and bloomed with life.

After hearing her stories about Brigid, Ashe felt as if it was fate to stumble across such a place. 

“You know how you’d told me about how you loved to swim in the ocean? And that your favourite flower was the sunflower? Well, when I stumbled across this place, I just knew I had to show you,” Ashe grinned. “Even if it’s a bit late- happy birthday Petra. I hope it reminds you of home, even just a little.”

Petra silently walked towards the flowers first, gaze fixated on the tallest of the bloomed flowers. She gently brushed her hands past the leaves on the stem and cupped the flower itself in her hands, gently rubbing the petals and the seeds ever so delicately. 

She let go and stared out at the river, watching the water flow downstream, partly through the clearing and out into another part of the forest.

“This is… wonderful, Ashe,” Petra murmured in awe.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he replied bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. Ashe hadn’t noticed Petr had wandered away from him after he’d directed his gaze elsewhere, the girl standing by the river by the time he’d realised she moved.

Ashe caught up with her and stared into the river’s water, translucent enough to show their reflections. 

“The water’s beautiful, don’t you think?” Ashe smiled down at the boy reflected back at himself. He stood in silence, Petra not answering his question. He furrowed his brows, but immediately stopped when he saw Petra’s reflection rub at her eyes. 

Ashe looked to his classmate, but the question wanted to ask died on his tongue. Goddess above, he was really in trouble now, somehow. He’d never thought he’d see the day where Petra would suddenly start crying, but he supposed there was a first time for everything.

“P-Petra?” Ashe whispered, almost frozen in shock, seeing tears fall down her face. “Are you OK? What happened?”

Ashe felt his mouth dry up quickly out of sheer nervousness and panic.

The girl snapped out of her stupor. “No. Please be having my apologies, Ashe. I am sure you are not wanting to see my tears. The reason is being silly as well...”

“Petra, you’re crying,” Ashe shook his head, a deep frown on his face. “I… I know there’s no silly reason for why you’re crying. If you want to tell me, I’ll listen,” he said thoughtfully, a hand placed on her shoulder reassuringly. “But if you want me to give you space, or if you want to go back…”

“No,” Petra spoke. “I am just…” she sighed, clearing her throat. “I am… very grateful for you, Ashe. My tears are being happy ones. I am happy that you are caring for my feelings so much. Even those in the Black Eagles, who are my friends, have not done such things like you.”

Petra leaned forward and enveloped him in a hug. Ashe felt the tips of his ears to cheeks turn hot as he gently embraced her back.

“I am missing my homeland everyday. And even if this is not being like my home- I can feel the spirits with great intensity. I have not felt that in a long time. You have my gratitude, Ashe,” she sniffled.

Ashe leaned into the hug. “Your welcome, Petra.”

The two stood in silence, the sound of the water flowing and birds chirping in the trees nearby the only things left to fill the quiet air around them. Petra broke off the hug first and rubbed her face, erasing any signs of tears on her face- aside from her red eyes.

“Are you feeling better?”

“I am still happy,” Petra reassured him. “But I am no longer crying, yes.”

Ashe sighed in relief. Ashe took off his boots and socks without another word, putting them to the side and folding up his pants. “Do you want to swim? We don’t have to go too deep, but…”

Petra’s boots fell at his feet, the girl already kicking them off, with a splash emanating from the stream. Ashe looked upon Petra who’d already been standing knee-deep in the water with an eager smile.

Ashe mirrored her expression and followed after her.

“Well, I guess that answers my question.”


	29. Books/Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Petra finds Ashe's passion for knights tales more endearing than he expects.

Despite being her aversion to mathematics, Petra still knew she had to try her hardest to study for upcoming general exams. General exams covered both Fodlanese and mathematics and were more akin to quizzes, but Petra knew she had to try her hardest regardless.

Despite the Blue Lions taking on the monastery’s most recently hired teacher as their Professor, and rumours of constant slacking off and unusually laid back lessons, their growth was undeniable. Ashe Ubert had risen quickly as one of the best archers among the students, nipping on the heels on the likes of herself, Claude, and Ignatz all within a couple of months of teaching.

His growth rate was one of the fastest among the Lions, which quickly caught her attention.

And for other reasons, though she tried not to acknowledge them.

She placed her books down neatly on the free desk in the library, and quickly got to work, old equations and revisited and re-done as many times as she could without resorting to looking at the answers for help. During her somewhat successful endeavour to study, Petra couldn’t help but peer up at the Blue Lions huddled around the opposite table, quietly playing a card game as best as they could despite their muttering and giggling.

Amongst them, Ashe Ubert sat to the side, holding up cards and placing them down whenever it was his turn.

Seeing them goof around had Petra intrigued. Evidently, there was something about Professor Byleth that made Petra realise she would learn little else while under Professor Manuela’s tutelage, despite being a deceptively efficient teacher herself. Supposedly, Raphael of the Golden Deer house and a certain Black Eagles recluse were both in talks with Professor Byleth to transfer classes.

Petra wondered if she should take that leap. Amidst her thoughts, Petra saw Ashe’s eyes shift in her direction. Her head immediately looked down at her workbook, her mind stuck between work and mentally chastising herself. Not a moment later, the sounds of chairs moving echoed in the room, a multitude of footsteps leading towards the library’s exit and into the hallway. 

She didn’t take much notice of anything else until a certain someone cleared their throat.

“Petra? I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

Petra directed her gaze at Ashe and tried not to look at the freckles that dotted his cheeks- she had an embarrassing habit of borderline staring at them. “No, you are not. Is there something you would like, Ashe?”

The boy held his book closer to his chest and fiddled with his hair- a nervous habit she found rather cute.

“Well, I was curious,” Ashe began before Petra realised the thought that had just crossed her mind. “Would you like some help? You didn’t look too happy about your work just now.”

There was something about Ashe’s genuine want to help others that Petra found rather endearing. Even so, she found herself unwilling to persist with her work any longer. The Brigidian Princess shook her head. “No,” Petra refused. “I am not wanting to be working on this any longer. It is tiring.”

Ashe chuckled. “That’s fair. Mathematics is not my strong suit either, so I understand how frustrating it can be.”

Petra smiled gratefully- before an idea occurred to her glancing at the book held close to his chest. “Ashe. That book in your hands. What is it being about?”

“Oh, this?” Ashe blinked, evidently surprised she was curious about it, to begin with. “It’s an old knight’s tale, about the Knight of the Wind. It’s a book that I think would be up your alley, actually. You said that, um… spirits reside in Brigid, right? This book has something similar in it. It has lots of action, cool character moments and romance too- if that’s your thing.”

Petra leaned on her fist and stared at Ashe as he enthusiastically rambled on, a small smile pulling up on her lips. It was rather endearing, she had to admit.

Ashe gushed about the book for a few moments before coming to his senses. “S-sorry,” the boy rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “I got a little too excited for a moment there. Sorry if I bored you, again.”

“You are not being a bore me, Ashe,” Petra reassured him and chuckled. “I think it is wonderful that you are having great passion for your hobbies. You do not need to be sorry for that.” 

“Oh,” Ashe blinked, his face becoming flushed very quickly. “Th-thank you Petra. I really appreciate that.

Petra hummed in response and couldn’t help but stare.

“Uh, what’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

“Ashe. I am having an idea. If you are having time…” she trailed off. Petra stretched her legs underneath the table and pushed on the chair’s legs, shifting it out of place. “You can tell me more about this book. I am having an interest in it now.”

“O-oh," Ashe smiled sheepishly, surprised at her offer. "W-well, if you don’t mind,” Ashe mumbled and pulled the seat out properly, taking a seat across from her. Petra neatly out her books in a pile next to her moved in, eager to listen.

“OK. Well, how about we start from the beginning...”


	30. Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ashe and Petra get their fourth wedding invitation in four years, Ashe wonders what his next move should be.

The invitation had been quite the wake-up call for Ashe. It had been the fourth invitation he and Petra, the new Queen of Brigid had received over the two years after the war had ended. The first had been quite a surprise- Dimitri and Byleth, despite their positions gracing them with endless, excessive amounts of work, had arranged their marriage quite early on into the rebuilding efforts. Petra hadn’t inherited the position of Queen yet, so it was not very difficult to attend.

The next two, almost stretched them both thin. Felix and Annette married a year after the war, then Raphael and Bernadetta six months later. Neither regretted going by any means, but it felt almost tiresome. Both also had to attend various meetings and talks with King Dimitri and Ferdinand and Constance, who bore the burden of leading recovery efforts and relations for Adrestia.

Ferdinand and Dorothea specifically, had been the last straw. When they first received the letter brandished with the von Aegir family’s seal from Anna, who’d travelled from Aegir territory primarily just to deliver the letter in haste (in exchange for a healthy sack of gold), Ashe felt his heart somehow rise and drop at once.

“Ashe! Ferdinand and Dorothea are getting married! ” Petra exclaimed excitedly in Brigidian.

Dorothea was one of Petra’s closest friends, so naturally, she was excited to discover this revelation. Ashe, on the other hand, did not share her enthusiasm entirely. Of course, he was happy for them- Ferdinand and Dorothea had become close friends to Ashe as well, but he couldn’t help but wonder about his own relationship with Petra.

Still, he couldn’t deny he was excited.  “Is that truth? It is being wonderful news, my love,” Ashe snaked his arms around Petra’s waist from behind and pulled her into an embrace. The Queen giggled and leaned back. Her hands rested on his arms when she melted into the hug.

Comparatively speaking, he and Petra had been courting for two and a half years, starting in the middle of the war. All their friends who were eager to be married off did so in significantly quicker time than Ashe ever thought they would.

The thought made the small box weigh down heavier his pocket.

“Yes, it is. I know that we were finding it difficult to attend Felix and Annette and Raphael and Bernie’s weddings, but we simply must find time now. It is of utmost importance- Dorothea has asked me personally to be her Maid of Honor!” Petra said in a sing-song voice, her voice tone giving away a beaming smile on her face.

“Really? Then I suppose we’ll have to ask your Grandfather to watch over us again,” Ashe spoke in Fodlanese, falling back to familiar territory. Petra hummed as the two silently swayed on the balcony, under the moonlight that shone down on Brigid.

“Yes, I suppose we must,” Petra agreed in Brigidian, though with less enthusiasm. Her Grandfather was old, and Ashe knew just as well as Petra did that they couldn’t rely on him to fall back on forever. The thought left a sombre mood weighing down on the both of them.

Recognising this, Ashe let go of the embrace and pulled gently on Petra’s arm. The Queen turned to face her Knight and let out a squeak in surprise when he dragged her into another welcomed embrace again. 

“You are being very nice to me tonight. Is there something you would like to tell me, Ashe?”  teased Petra in her native tongue.

He didn’t recognise the line entirely at first, but quickly put together what she meant. Ashe leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Why? Can’t I always be nice to you  mo ghrá?” 

The Queen stood on her toes and pressed a light kiss to her lover and Knight’s lips.  “I did not say that,” Petra giggled. “But I am having a hunch there is something else you are wanting to speak to me about,” she spoke in Fodlanese.

Ashe wondered if he should ask here and now. Her Grandfather and Mother had already given their approval, so now it fell on him to pluck up the courage to ask the question. He thought it over for a moment before he stopped himself.

“Tomorrow,” Ashe began, nearly breathlessly.  “I am wishes… wishing to be ask something… for you,”  Ashe struggled to put together in Brigidian. Now he understood Petra’s pain all those years ago and even now, finding it a struggle to properly speak Brigid’s native tongue but to excellently understand it otherwise.

“At the beach, yes?”

Ashe nodded in silence.

Tomorrow… tomorrow would be the day he finally dreamed and dreaded for a long time- the weight of the box in his pocket unbearable.

“Yes. I have something extremely important I wish to ask you there, Petra…”


	31. Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the distant future, Petra, Ashe and their family watch the sunrise.

“Mama…”

Petra loved her children dearly. If there was one thing no one could deny, it was that. But to say that they didn’t frustrate her at times was also another undeniably true matter. 

“Mama.”

Petra was a morning person. If there was one thing her husband couldn’t deny, it was that. But to say that being forcefully woken up by her children while stage whispering in her ear was not annoying was undeniably false.

_ “ _ Mama!”

Petra’s eyes fluttered open, forcefully woken up by the voice of her youngest daughter and the hands of her only son, their middle child shaking her arm. A small groan escaped the lips of the Queen of Brigid.

“Mama, come on! You have to get up!” her youngest, Priscilla, begged her.

“Yeah, you said you and Papa would watch the sunrise with us, and it has already started!”, her older brother, Lonato shook her arm some more.

...Petra, admittedly, had forgotten about that entirely. One of the many consequences of being Queen of Brigid was being overwhelmed with so much information about her people’s needs and foreign relations that it often cut into her personal life. At least her children were about as energetic as Caspar were and kept her on her toes.

The Queen yawned, then smiled brightly at her children. “Very well, then. Go get ready and let me wake up your father.”

“OK!” they both excitedly beamed, running out of their room, before Priscilla poked her head back in.

“Oh, Mama! Astra and Christophe are already at our usual spot. We’ll meet you there, ’kay?”

“Yes, my treasure, we will,” Petra called back to her daughter. Once the sound of small footsteps echoed down the hallway, the Queen of Brigid pushed herself up out of her husband’s protective embrace. It was still amusing and charming that Ashe always acted as her Guardian Knight, even in his sleep.

Her fingers ran through her husband’s hair gently, Petra watching Ashe breathing rhythmically. Had she had more time, Petra would have been content to just watch. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Petra pressed her forehead to his. “My love…” Petra hummed, still affectionately running her hand through his hair. It was something she’d made a habit of doing soon after they began courting each other years ago, and a habit she didn’t intend on stopping.

“My love, it’s time to awaken. Our children are waiting for you.” Petra placed a gentle kiss on his lips, which finally spurred Ashe to wake up. His eyes fluttered open, then shut immediately, stretching his arms up in the air. Her husband’s gaze turned to her, his tired smile making her heart flutter. 

_ “Good morning,”  _ Ashe mumbled in Fodlanese.

_ “Good morning to you too,”  _ Petra giggled.

Ashe leaned down to kiss his wife on the forehead, which she quickly accepted.  _ “So…” _ he said through a yawn. “What’s this about our kids,  _ mo ghrá? _ ”

_ “We’re meant to be watching the sunrise today, remember?” _

Ashe’s eyes widened so quickly it was almost comedic. “Oh, no,” Ashe breathed, switching back to Brigdian. “I forgot all about that.”

“Don’t worry- I did too,” Petra smiled. “But thankfully, Priscilla and Lonato woke me up, so we still have time.”

“Are you sure you don’t have any other matters to attend to…?”

Petra placed a finger against her husband’s lips. “Let us forget about that at this moment. Now come. Our children are waiting.”

The Queen pulled her Guardian Knight-turned King out of bed and changed into something a little more appropriate than their pyjamas, Petra a casual white beach dress and Ashe in a black pair of shorts and a loose white button-up shirt.

The two made haste to the secluded area of the beach just outside where the palace was located, the perfect spot to watch the sunrise from, four palm trees bunched together provided adequate shade for the family of six as well. Petra sat beside her eldest daughter, Astra, Christophe climbing into her lap. Ashe sat next to her, with Priscilla leaning against her father’s left arm and Arthur lying across Priscilla and his Great-Grandfather’s laps.

It was unusually tranquil for some time, with only the soft hums of her Grandfather echoing in the air as they stared ahead. Once Petra noticed the sad frown on Astra’s face, Petra decided to fill the void of silence. “Astra? Are you feeling well, my treasure?”

The eldest daughter scrunched her nose and shrugged. “Yes. I guess. I just… I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?” Petra asked curiously.

“I guess I just feel tired.”

“Did you get enough sleep last night?” Petra’s Grandfather asked her, utterly concerned.

“Yes, I did, Grandpa. But I just still feel tired,” Astra frowned, her back of her head pressed against the trunk of the palm tree.

“Hmm…” Petra hummed, unconvinced and analysed her daughter’s mood curiously. She had a perfect idea of what- or who was the cause of her sour mood, but it wasn’t until after Priscilla and Arthur spoke that it was confirmed in her mind.

“Mama,” Priscilla giggled. “I know why Astra’s so sad. It’s because she-”

“Priscilla. Don’t,” the eldest glared at her younger sister. Unfortunately, it was already too late, Arthur seemingly already in the know. He tilted his head back and grinned wildly. “Hey Mama, Papa, did you know that Astra kissed a boy yesterday-”

Astra, utterly mortified and blushing intensely, threw sand at her younger siblings. “Shut up!” Astra exclaimed, unable to stop her siblings from their silly giggles.

“Astra,” Petra looked at her daughter with mild disappointment. “Don’t throw sand at your brother and sister.”

“But Mama, they just- ugh!” Astra groaned, a scowl risen on her lips.

“Why are you so embarrassed, Astra? Mama, Papa and Grandpa already know about it,” Arthur huffed, wiping sand off of his face. 

Astra glanced at Petra and Ashe, still utterly mortified.

“Emile?” Petra asked, the name of Mercedes and Dedue’s eldest son, who had left Brigid with his mother and father the day before. Astra withered away in embarrassment faster than she’d ever seen before. She pulled her knees to her chest and hid her face away.

“Ah, yes. That young man. I was curious if you had taken a liking to him,” the older man rubbed his beard. “I knew that I recognised that look. You two were just like your mother and father when I met them years ago. Couldn’t stop looking at each other like lovesick pups.”

Giggles emanated from their children, and even Astra smirked through her embarrassed state. Ashe cleared his throat. “Though, I can’t say I’m surprised honestly,” he said a little guiltily. 

“That is true. Mercedes is not exactly… quiet when it comes to certain things.”  _ Especially when intoxicated _ , Petra said mentally, knowing Ashe wanted to say it but stopped himself halfway.

“You know, you can always keep exchanging letters with him,” Ashe said, helping her son and daughter wipe sand off of their faces.

“...You knew about that too?” 

“Yes, my treasure, we did,” Petra interjected honestly. “Though, I’m sure you won’t have to worry about not seeing him.”

Astra looked up, curiously. “...What do you mean?”

Ashe looked at Petra with a raised brow. She smiled reassuringly at him, her husband, leaning back against the trunk of the palm tree. “We recently received an offer from an old friend on your behalf. Do you remember our stories about Garreg Mach?”

Astra blinked at her parents before her eyes widened and a giddy grin appeared on her face. “Really? You mean…?!”

“Maybe,” Ashe interjected. “We haven’t finalised anything in our correspondence yet, but it’s possible.”

“Does that mean Astra gets to see her boyfriend every single day? Wow, aren’t you so lucky big sis Astra?” Priscilla sarcastically said in a sing-song voice.

“Yeah, and big bro Emile gets to see his girlfriend every day, oh la la,” Arthur cackled wiggling his eyes at her older sister. Christophe, who’d remained oddly quiet the entire exchange, wriggled in Petra’s arms and stared Astra, her mouth agape.

“Emile is your boyfriend?!”

Petra snorted and broke into a laugh alongside the rest of her family, barring Astra who hid her face in her hands. As the laughter eventually settled down and the mood mellowed out, Petra gazed at the horizon, basking in its light as it slowly rose up. Petra nearly jolted in surprise when Ashe’s hand sneakily linked with her own. Its familiar warmth and the kiss that accompanied it made her heart melt all the same today as it did years ago when they were just students during simpler times at Garreg Mach.

This is what she dreamed of.

To be beside her loving husband, who stood by her in times of strife and harmony from the time they met as teenagers ignorant of the world to adults fighting for a better one. To be surrounded by her children, proof of their love, and who they loved as dearly as each other.

To watch the sunrise for a new day with the ones she treasured the most, with the spirits of their loved ones long past watching over them: her Mother and Father, Lonato, Christophe and Ashe’s Mother and Father.

This is the future she dreamed of ever since she was taken away from Brigid for the first time.

And there was nothing she would trade this wonderful future for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Astra and Emile are fankid OCs that belong to @tomaarrie on twitter! Go check them out here: https://twitter.com/tomaarrie/status/1313668538310197248
> 
> And there it is. 31 days, 31 short Petrashe fics. I really hope you all enjoyed the ride!
> 
> Once again, kudos and comments where possible would be greatly appreciated!


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